History of Shinobi
by Baloshua
Summary: Shinobi were killers of times that have long since passed. Espionage, Saboteur, Assassination, the basic fundamentals that made up the base of all ninja. Long after their passing, however, when they have long since vanished into legend, they have been called upon once again. No matter the era, there will always be conflict that need to be put to rest.
1. Chapter 1 (Apocrypha Arc)

**Clock tower, London.**

It is strange how the dim, empty room seems to twist all sense of distance. It appears unbelievably wide, and yet makes one feel uncomfortably pressed. The candles placed in its center faintly lit the faces of the men in the room, their features unclear and indistinct. The air within the vague boundaries of this room was filled with an inexpressible anguish.

"So... only one has returned."

Three gathered here. One is an old man, short but straight-backed, the creases on the skin of his face gleaming like he were a statue carved of wood - Rocco Belfaban, the head of the Department of Summoning who is said to have held this position for over fifty years, though no one is certain.

Another nodded at Belfaban's hoarse murmur.

"I witnessed the battle for myself, as well... it was a fearsome sight. That _thing_ should not be allowed to exist."

It was a younger man, handsome and with red hair. With a single glance at his strong, high-minded gaze and refined features, you can perceive that he is a member of the elite. There was a strong sense of duty in his words.

His name is Bram Nuada-De Sophia-Ri, the successor of the head of the Department of Evocation, and one of the first-class instructors employed by the Clock Tower.

The old man nod in agreement and shifts his gaze to the last person in the room who continue to maintain his silence. It is a man with loose long hair, furrowing his brows in seeming displeasure.

"What do you think, Lord El-Melloi?"

Lighting the cigar in his hand with the candle's flame, the man called El-Melloi shook his head slowly from side to side.

"El-Melloi the _Second_. As much as I appreciate questionable respect coming from an elder such as yourself, keep the 'II'. That name is unbearably grating without it."

"My mistake. How do you perceive the situation, El-Melloi II?"

"Well... it's clear that we must alter our approach. After all, we just lost forty-nine magi. One of them survived, but he won't be of much use any more."

Their operation had been planned in detail, organizing fifty magi. When it began, it was proceeding perfectly in every respect. However, everything was ruined by _a single familiar_.

As a result, forty-nine magi perished, and only the last one managed to retaliate.

"Thanks to his efforts, the chance has come for us to counter-attack. If we can assemble **seven Masters** , victory may yet be ours."

"But who can go? Any half-wit magus wandering in would only suffer the same fate. The area of Trifas is under their control."

After a brief silence, El-Melloi II gives the clear and simple truth.

"We need to bring in the professionals from the outside. This Holy Grail War is on an utterly different scale from the ones we have experienced so far. The Clock Tower must still provide at least one or two magi, of course."

The other two signal their agreement. They must choose the seven Masters now. However, there are pressing issues at hand. It would be a great undertaking to choose from the great families of the Clock Tower. It would likely require over three months before the selection can be confirmed due to a variety of reasons, not least the succession and safekeeping of family thaumaturgical crests. It will be far more effective to contract the more readily available freelancers.

"Then we shall begin gathering the ones whom we feel best for the situation. Let the Holy Church send the last Master. We must obtain their involvement in this war by any means necessary to let all know of our legitimacy."

"In that case, I will make the selection regarding the holy relics. Time is not on our side, but it should be possible to gather catalysts which will give us strength on par with the enemy's."

Hearing Bram's words, Belfaban struck the stone floor with his rod as he announced.

"This is completely unlike all the imitations of the Holy Grail War rituals of our time. In scale alone, it is beyond the Grail War which took place thrice in Fuyuki. We must brace ourselves for what will come. Let them fully regret sullying the name of the Clock Tower."

Without another glance at one another, the three men each left the room in separate ways.

* * *

"Surely we needn't take such actions seriously, right?"

"Bram, this is the Holy grail war." Lord El-Melloi II said as he exhaled smoke. "As dubious as it seems, this is a threat that we can't afford to take lightly. The one I took part in may have ended in a failure, but it is not something you should take lightly."

"So I have heard." Bram muttered. "But to think that one of these servants was enough to take out an entire squad of the fifty best magi..."

"Absurd, I know." Waver sighed. "Servants, whether new or old, are more than a match for any magi of the present age. No one could possibly reach that kind of level without a miracle to back them up or certain conditions are met. My servant was able to summon his entire army as his ability, but even then it was a close call."

Bram's eyes widened at this. "Surely you are kidding?"

"Do I look like I am?" Waver grumbled as he stubbed out his cigarette. "Make no mistake, this is something that needs immediate attention. Leaving a wish granting artifact with the likes of the Yggdmillenia is asking for trouble."

"Then I shall begin looking for Magi who are willing to partake in such a mission." Bram said with a tired sigh. "But do you think anyone will even step forward? This 'war' is something that's above anything we've ever seen before."

"I'll go." Waver said immediately, ignoring the surprised look from his subordinate.

"But Lord El-Melloi..."

"Lord El-Melloi II!" Waver corrected with a sharp glare, making the man freeze. "I don't care who you choose for the job, but I must be one of them. I know we said that we should be choosing freelancer agents or whatever, but I am the most experienced in the subject of this war. It would only make sense for the clocktower to send me."

"But Lord El-Mello II, Your job!"

"I can take a few days off. It's not like I even do anything, anyway." Waver muttered, hating how everyone was always concerned about others jobs instead of worrying about their own. Besides, the directors aren't going to care about me leaving. They all trust me enough to let me make decisions for myself."

Bram rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright, but don't blame me if you get in trouble. As for the matter of the summoning, do you have any catalysts we can use? The relics of long ago have become increasingly harder to find."

"I have some that we can use. It should be enough to put us on par with the Ygddmillenia." Waver said as he lighted another cigar. During his time in one of the grail wars, he made it a point to take the relics from his defeated foes. Perhaps his servant's personality prodded him to do so, but he thought that it would be pretty cool to take such an important relic for himself and keep them.

Besides, it wouldn't be good for them to leave a nice relic like that. He had figured that another grail war would pop out later so he also considered it as an act of preparation. He didn't think he would need some of them so soon.

"Er, is it possible that you yourself have a wish, Lord?" Bram asked with a curious expression.

"Nothing of the sort that can't be achieved with the use of the grail." Waver said with a shrug. In truth, he had nothing big he really wanted the omnipotent grail to give him. However, there was one more thing he wanted to do in his life before he kicked the bucket.

His thoughts drifted to the tattered remains of a king's cloak that he kept in his closet as a reminder and token of a dear friend.

His lips twitched into a small smile as he began to head towards his room. "I have some preparations to make. I expect you to choose some suitable candidates for the war. Preferably willing ones."

Bram groaned in despair as he watched his superior disappear around the corner. "Damn it... Why must I have the burden of doing such a tiring task?" The magus muttered as he headed back to his own quarters. There were many families that were willing to make a name for themselves in the clocktower. He could hire a few mercenaries and let the rest be ones from important families. It would allow the clock tower to not look weak for relying too much on mercenaries.

He sighed. The paperwork was going to be a total mess.

* * *

She opened her eyes. The means by which she was summoned were so very unusual... There is no precedent for a summoning where the summoned is so weakly linked to the present world. Is it because this Great Holy Grail War is just so irregular?

The girl had somehow managed to take form in the world. There are no problems with her specifications, either... but this body is unmistakably that of a French girl's. What's more, she possessed the majority of _her_ memories. Yet rather than having two personalities in one body - a so-called split personality - it would be more accurate to say both personalities have merged into one. Perhaps due to her own acuteness and deep conviction of faith, _she_ has recognized and completely accepted 'La Pucelle' within her.

"...Please lend me your body for a while, Laeticia."

The girl said to the owner of the body.

Having decided on her first task, the girl greeted 'her' friend - moving to the other bed and shaking her. After some groaning, she woke up and rubbed her eyes, looking half-awake.

" _Mmn... w-what...?_ "

She was so clearly drowsy that the girl felt bad for waking her, but she spoke clearly.

"I will be leaving here for some time."

Perhaps not understanding the seriousness of the girl's words, she fell back onto the bed while waving her hand in farewell - then flung away her sheets a few seconds later and shouted.

"What did you just say?!"

"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but time is of the essence."

"What? What essence? What is this, all of a sudden - you just said 'Good night' and 'See you tomorrow'! What are you saying?!"

The girl looked at her bewildered - and loud - friend with earnest and told her three things:

 _'I'm going on a long trip.'_

'I absolutely must go.'

'Don't worry.'

Her friend listened to those words with a blank expression, her mouth hanging open, but finally nodded in understanding.

"All right... There's no helping it if you absolutely must..."

"That's right. I will explain this to the teachers."

"Well, okay... Good night, then."

"Good night."

The girl did not use thaumaturgy to cast a suggestion on her friend. But as Servant Ruler, she has the ability to make others believe in her words.

She told her teachers and friends that she must go on a journey and made them understand that it was absolutely necessary. She was probably being more forceful than she should but there was no way around it - so she sighed and pushed away such idle concerns.

Luckily, the owner of this body lived in a student dormitory far removed from her parents. It was unlikely that they would notice even if she were gone for a month.

Packing a change of clothes, her passport and some textbooks into her bag, she left the dormitory. The owner of this body... Laeticia is still a student. _She_ , on the other hand, came from the farmlands and never had the chance to learn to read and write - how strange it was to have been able to automatically acquire knowledge of modern languages, thanks to the Holy Grail.

"...Yet this is still all too strange."

She should have been summoned like any other Servant - actualized in the city where the battle would take place without needing to borrow the physical body of anyone else.

Nevertheless, she has been summoned this time via possession of another's flesh and what's more, she was summoned in her homeland - a France still with lingering vestiges of its past.

Besides, Ruler should have been the eighth Servant to be summoned - this time, she was the _fifteenth_ Servant. Among all the Holy Grail Wars of the past, the scale of this one is most likely the largest. Perhaps there was some accident during the last large-scale Holy Grail War...

She would have originally been worried about using another girl's body to oversee such a dangerous war, but the grail had already told her that if she were to die, Laeticia's body would be resurrected away from the battle in a safe condition.

Also, the grail has also informed her that she would be summoning her own servant to help her mediate the grail war. With the amount of servants on the loose, covering up the war would be hard enough.

In any case - having already been summoned - the girl is determined to surmount all difficulties to carry out her mission.

On her name of Jeanne d'Arc, The Holy Virgin of France, she will not fail.

* * *

"So this is Japanese culture..." Jeanne muttered to herself in amazement as she walked through the streets of Naruto, which was a city in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. A very famous city in Japan that was named after the person who was called, **The First Hero of Japan**.

Japan had a massive culture and deep roots that were just as old as Greece, Rome, or Egypt. In fact, with Japan's release of anime shows and books called Manga, it's spread lots of positive influence across the world as a form of entertainment for kids and adults.

Although the grail provided her on information that she herself was still clueless about.

Like hentai.

What in the world was hentai?

She didn't know why her first train of thought to summon a servant would be here, but she guessed that it was just intuition. Japan had a bunch of heroes that were quite famous around the world. Any one of them that was summoned would definitely be a top tier servant.

She gained quite a bit of looks from locals as she walked past. They didn't look like they were saying anything bad about her, but it was more on the lines of being quite different from them. She definitely didn't look Japanese, after all.

Wandering around for a bit, she soon came upon a traditional shrine in the outskirts of the city where not many people went. There was a small lake behind the shrine and an alter with a multitude of offerings that ranged from small jewels to pictures of families.

There were small tablets right next to the alter with writings in different languages. Despite knowing how to read other languages with the help of the grail, she still sought out for one in her native tongue. Finding one, she quickly began reading through it.

 **Shrine of the Maelstrom.**

 **A historical sight where it was believed that the hero, Naruto Uzumaki, was said to return to every year. Locals believe that leaving a small offering at the alter was said to please the Maelstrom and bring them good luck as a reward for their respect.**

"Maelstrom..." Jeanne muttered, not believing her luck. She had never heard stories about the man when she was alive, but this man's legend had already spread throughout the entire world, being the basis for most ninja movies, anime, and anything ninja related. It wouldn't surprise her if this man was the most famous hero in the entire world.

The fact that this place was vacant at the moment was a great place for her to try and summon her own servant!

She rubbed her hands. "Alright... Time to get to work."

* * *

"Hm... Magecraft is certainly quite interesting." Jeanne muttered to herself as she studied the newly drawn magic circle with interest.

Since she wasn't a magus, she couldn't really tell if the magic circle was doing its job or not. The grail gave her a step-by-step process on how to summon her own servant, but she can't help but wonder if she even did it right.

It was glowing pretty brightly, so she guessed that it was probably going fine.

She could only hope that the ritual didn't explode in her face and completely wipe a historical site off the map.

Sitting at the base of the alter, she sighed as she relaxed her body. Taking a plane ride from France to Japan had been incredibly tiresome for her. The boarding time and distance hadn't done anything bad to her body, but not having anything to do for several hours was incredibly tiring for her. Even now, her muscles were just starting to loosen up.

She stared at the pond from her little spot and admired how beautiful it was. France's beauty during her time had been tarnished with war, and she rarely ever got to see places like this. Enjoying the beauty of God's creations was something that she loved to do in her free time. Even if she was in a resting place of a pagan, she didn't mind at all. All that mattered to her in a person was if he was a generous one or not. Difference in Religion never stopped her in making connections with others.

She had changed into her battle gear in preparation to greet her servant. It obviously wouldn't do for her to greet him in a school uniform when she was supposed to be the mediator of the grail war. It would be both impolite and improper.

Suddenly, her head rose a bit when she heard a disturbance reach her ears. Eyes widening, she quickly reacted and dove to the side as something small hit the spot where she was at a second before.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jeanne thought as she quickly got to her feet. Looking up, she saw a blond haired teen with a black revolver with red lines of light traced on its design. He was wearing a black cowboy hat and stereotypical black cowboy fatigues. Wrapped around his neck was a red scarf and a burning cigarette in his mouth.

"You're quite the fast one, little lady." The man commented with a chuckle as he spun the revolver in his hand with a carefree grin. "Haven't missed a target once in my life. Guess my elders certainly are quite the people."

"Billy the Kid." Jeanne intoned, already using her special authority as a Ruler class servant to be able to discern the servant's true name. Her eyes narrowed at the thought and her mind raced to piece together what was going on. All of the other servants had already been established in Romania. Since that's true, why is there another servant here? Away from the war, no less.

"What is going on?" Jeanne asked as she drew her sword. "Attacking the Ruler of the grail war is against the laws set in place."

"Well, I'm not exactly part of it, am I?" The cowboy shrugged before holding his hand up to stop her from speaking. "That's all I'm allowed to tell you without my master getting mad. Don't bother trying to pry any more information out of me, Saint of Orleans. My intent is to simply kill you. Nothing more, nothing less."

Jeanne tensed. The man was a professional. He wasn't going to be swayed to her reasons.

"Now then, raise your sword or die. You now know who you are facing." At a speed faster than what she thought possible, the cowboy had already fired off three rounds in quick succession. Raising her sword and using her battle instincts, she swatted the bullets out of the air and immediately moved forward towards her enemy. She was not familiar with guns, but they were projectile weapons like bows. If she could get close enough, she could turn the fight in her favor.

Unfortunately, it seems that Billy was already expecting that. As she gave chase to him, the cowboy simply backpedaled backwards while firing round after round in quick succession. Each of them aimed at numerous vital points across her body.

After Billy had shot six shots, he spun his gun and the sound of the chamber rolling reached her ears before he began firing once again. Dodging to the right, she quickly lunged forward and swung her sword. The blade only bit into the fabric before the cowboy retreated a safe distance away.

"She's fast." Billy thought as he fired another shot and watched as it was deflected into the nearby water. "Guess I should have expected from the maid of orleans."

"He's just too fast!" Jeanne thought in annoyance at the same time. "Should I bring out my stand? No, it's too early for that. As long as I can outlast him, I should be fine."

She may have been a simple flag bearer, but her stats as a servant were nothing to scoff at. While he may be faster than her, she could only hope that he was tiring faster than she was. She could rely on her flag, but that would give away more tactical secrets about her than necessary. She couldn't afford to show off more if the rogue servant managed to slink away from the battle.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the magical circle was shining even brighter than before.

"Tch... So that's what you were doing here?!" Billy exclaimed in surprise as Jeanne lunged towards the circle. "No you don't!" He fired off three quick rounds as Jeanne extended her hand towards the circle.

"By my status as Ruler and mediator of the Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc, I hereby ask thee to lend me thy aid in the restoration of balance and order in this Holy Grail war! Come forth, my servant!" Jeanne announced as her hand touched the glow of light.

Jeanne's eyes snapped shut as the light intensified it's glow. From the glorious light, a young man's voice resonated in a surprised tone.

"Odd... I don't recall being in Japan at this time."

As the light vanished, a young man of 19 years old stood in the middle of the summoning circle with a confused look on his face. Around his body was a white cloak with several kanji on the back. On his head was a red cap in the shape of a diamond.

"The grail war..." The man muttered as he looked around. "Of course I'd get looped up in this. Sakura always did say I was a magnet for trouble." Turning around to face the saint, the man revealed his face to her. He had spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes. What was the most noticeable part of his face was the small whisker marks that were on his cheeks like a cat.

"It's a nice night today. I'm guessing you're my master." The man said with a small smile as he observed the saint. "Hm... If I heard correctly, you said that you were the servant Ruler, correct?"

Gathering the courage to speak, Jeanne nodded. "Yes... I am the Ruler class servant of the new Holy Grail War. As the number of servants in the war has doubled, I have decided to attempt a servant summoning to summon a servant to help me mediate the Grail War more easily."

The man whistled. "Double the servants? Yosh... I think I get it. This is certainly interesting." He frowned for a moment as he eyed the alter. "I'm surprised you'd summon me in here of all places. Although, I guess this is the place where my mystery is at its highest peaks."

He remembered this place quite fondly. Where this lake stood was the original site of the city Amegakure. The mechanical city of rain that was once ruled by his former enemy, turned friend after death, Nagato. The lake was also the exact same place where his teacher, Jiraiya, had his final battle and died at the hands of Nagato. His body had rotted away at the bottom of the lake, but there could potentially be some traces left behind of his teacher and god father.

"Anyway, it seems that you're in quite the pickle, master. Do not worry, I shall handle this." The man said as he turned around and faced the cowboy. "No hard feelings, but you attacked my master. I'm afraid You'll have to deal with me."

"Tch..." The cowboy gritted his teeth in frustration. Things had just gone from bad, to worse. He wasn't expecting Ruler to summon her own servant. But now that she had, he was in a huge disadvantage by himself.

Which is why he always brought backup.

"Guess you'll get to shine, partner." Billy spoke before he turned around and ran away.

The man frown as he watched the servant retreat. "Hey! Where do you think you're going!" As he began to give chase, the sound of something huge running across the land reached their ears.

"GAROOOO!"

Out of the nearby trees burst a hulking behemoth with chains and broken shackles hanging from his wrists and ankles. Its face was covered by a metal black face mask with a single golden ring hanging from the bottom of it. In each of its hands was a huge halberd that towered over each of them in length.

"Asterios..." Jeanne muttered as she discerned the monster's identity under the berserker class. "Beware, servant! That is the bull of king Minos! Tread lightly around him!"

The man smiled. "Do not worry about me, master. Just sit back and relax while I take care of the beast."

Jeanne frowned, obviously wanting to help, but nodded. "Alright... But do not hesitate to ask me for aid."

"I do not think I shall need it." The man said as Asterios roared and barreled towards him with his axes. Once he got close enough, the servant swung one of its halberds in a quick arc towards the man's neck. Without so much as blinking, the man simply craned his neck backwards and avoided having it decapitated clean off. Grunting in confusion, the beast swung its other halberd in a much quicker motion.

Only for the strike to be stopped as the man simply stepped forward with his right fist and grab the pole of the axe as it speeded towards him, shocking everyone who managed to witness such a display of raw strength. The blade of the ask strained dangerously close to his face, but the man seemed disinterested in that fact.

"A berserker. You've lost all motor functions." Naruto commented as he shoved the blade away. "You're nothing more than a beast who was simply born to kill. Although, I can tell that you are a kind soul at heart." he gave the beast a sympathetic look. "Forgive me for this, but I must protect my master."

And with that, he reared his fist back and sent a normal looking punch towards the confused beast. Jeanne suddenly blinked in surprise, however, when her servant's arm became shrouded with some kind of golden energy. As it impacted the bull servant, it was launched backwards straight into the trees, earning a roar of disbelief and surprise from the beast as it vanished into the forest.

Jeanne blinked in a stunned stupor as she gazed at the man in front of her. He exhaled a breath and placed a hand back into his pocket.

"Haven't used that in a while." He commented idly before turning back to Jeanne with a smile. "Didja like that demonstration, master?"

"Er... yes." Jeanne got out, still stunned by the act of power. "Who... are you?"

The man blinked for a moment before laughing. "Isn't it obvious? Ah... doesn't matter. I'll say it again for old times sake." Straightening himself up, the man delivered a pose with his hand stretched out in a peace sign.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Child of Prophecy and the seventh Hokage of Konohona! It's a pleasure to meet you, master!" Naruto said with a childlike grin.

* * *

 **And... that's... it!**

 **Welcome to my other project that I will be working on alongside 'A Chance to be a Hero'. If you haven't seen that, go check it out!**

 **Anyway, I got the inspiration to do a fate/apocrypha fanfic from an AWESOME fanfic by 00Altair's own fanfic called, 'Fate Magnus Bellum'. It's an awesome story that features the great holy grail war. A grail war that isn't used in many FATE fanfictions today. Before you read mine, you should go over to his first and give it a read, favorite, and a review. I guarantee you will enjoy the story as much as I do.**

 **As you can see, I have decided to make Naruto events an actual canon even in human history. I thought it would be a nicer twist instead of having him simply travel to a new dimension because of a sealing jutsu of Zelretch.**

 **And as you can see... his influence has already spreaded to modern times, so I'll let you guess on how famous he is.**

 **As for me, I'm signing off right now. It's getting late. Don't forget to leave a fav and review!**

 **-baloshua**


	2. Chapter 2 (Apocrypha)

"Ah, geez... My shrine is totally messed up!" Naruto complained as he began repairing the damages that the short little skirmish made. "This was the coolest one too..."

Jeanne didn't know what to think of her servant as she watched him tidy up a shrine that was dedicated to himself. She didn't know if he did it because it was his shrine, or simply because he didn't like leaving things in a mess.

"There we go!" Naruto exclaimed proudly as he finished cleaning his own alter and watched it literally sparkle with how fast he polished it. Nodding in content, he turned around and regarded Jeanne with a bright smile. "Sorry about that. This place is kind of special to me. I don't want to leave it in such a bad condition."

"It is fine." Jeanne said as she stared at her servant. "So... are you really Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto snorted. "Duh. I have the Hokage hat and everything!" He sat down on his own alter and placed his hands under his chin. "Well... I guess I don't look anything like some of my statues, but that's not my fault! I blame Leonardo and Michaelangelo for that problem."

Jeanne blinked at that. Was this really how one of the most famous rulers and heroes to ever walk the earth acted? She was expecting some wise old Japanese man with a beard to be her servant, but this was definitely not what she was thinking.

Still, she definitely managed to pull out an extremely powerful servant. Very few legends could even compare to the legend of the Seventh Hokage, and he was definitely capable of handling himself in combat situations.

The only thing she was worried about was if he had a wish that he wanted granted. After all, it wasn't rare for a servant to kill their master if they find their chances of winning to be unsatisfactory. As a Ruler, she had the only job of mediating the grail war and making sure that everything falls in place. She was not allowed to make a wish on the grail, and that includes her servant.

If he was displeased with the news and decided to turn his fists on her, she doubt she would even be able to defend herself. After all, her servant was said to have ascended to the realm of the gods after his death.

"Before we talk, I have a question to ask of you." Jeanne began.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"Do you perhaps have any wish that you want granted by the holy grail?" Jeanne asked slowly and cautiously, wondering how Naruto was going to react.

"A... wish?" Naruto muttered with a frown before laughing. "Master, I don't understand why you would even think that! If I wanted a wish granted, I would already have accomplished it myself! I don't need a wish granting cup to do it for me!"

Jeanne frowned. "Then... why is it that you let yourself be summoned? A servant with no wish... I do not believe that has ever been heard of before."

Naruto grinned. "I answered because it is my duty as a hero to answer the calls of others! I may be a legend in the history books, but I still have my pride as a hero!" He declared proudly before it turned into a sheepish look. "Plus... Being alive for several thousand years tends to get a little bit boring. I need to let off some steam now and then."

Jeanne's eyes widened at that last part. Alive? What was he talking about? Hesitantly, she reached out and pinched Naruto's cheek, earning a yelp from the blond haired man at the sudden action.

"O-ow! Master! That hurts! My whisker marks are sensitive!" Naruto cried in a childlike manner with anime tears flowing from his eyes. All the while, Jeanne just continued to stare at him in shock.

"You're flesh and blood..." Jeanne muttered as she felt his skin and noticed that it was most definitely not made out of prana. "You're not a spiritual body! You're alive!"

"Of course I am!" Naruto grumbled as he slapped her hand away and rubbed his cheeks in a cute manner. "I'm a god, you know... Read about me later if you want. I'm sure you can at least find several books in the library."

"I-I know who you are." Jeanne stuttered, not believing her eyes. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

Naruto blinked, noticing her look of discomfort. "Ah... you wouldn't happen to be a catholic, would you?"

"Saint Jeanne d'Arc, actually." Jeanne muttered.

"That explains it." Naruto said, suddenly feeling awkward. "Uh, are you bothered by this? I mean..."

"It is perfectly fine." Jeanne said, regaining her composure and smiling. "Difference in Religion or culture is not something that should go between us. I still believe that my God is the one for me, even if you yourself are a god yourself."

Naruto smiled, obviously pleased with her response. "A wise choice. I personally like you catholics. At least some of you tend to look on the brighter side of things than the bleak side of life." Standing up, he casually ruffled the girl's hair. "I believe that the two of us will get along perfectly. As your servant, your goals are my goals, and I will dedicate my life in service to you, master."

Against her will, the young saint soon found herself blushing at her fellow blond's words. "Please... just call me Jeanne when we are in private. Master just sounds so..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish such a sentence.

"Eh? But master is my master." Naruto teased, earning a pouty look from the saint. "Don't be such a sourpuss, Jeanne-chan. If you really feel that uncomfortable with such a title, I won't call you it anymore."

The saint breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Now that that's settled, we shall set off for the city of Trifas. I am already worried about the condition of the grail, so I want to make it to the site of the battle post haste."

"Understood, Jeanne-chan. Before we go, however, could you please explain to me why you yourself have a body of your own?" Naruto asked with a curious tone.

"I myself do not know." Jeanne admitted with a worried look. "Something must have gone wrong with my summoning and the grail decided to put me in a human container to bring me to this world. In addition to the rogue servants that have just attacked us, I believe that there is more to the grail war than meets the eye."

"Well, in a battle between heroes and magi, that much is expected." Naruto said with a shake of his head. He had met many different types of magi before on his travels. Needless to say, he didn't appreciate the stuck up bastards that some of them were.

"Ruler's aren't usually summoned unless the grail feels threatened enough to employ us." Jeanne explained. "Although, it didn't give me any information regarding why I was summoned. If the rogue servants have anything to do with it, though, we should be wary."

"No arguments there." Naruto shrugged. "Alright, then. I'm assuming that since you have a regular body, you can't turn into spirit form, correct?" Earning a nod in confirmation, Naruto continued. "So then I assume we're going to have to take a plane, right?"

"Yes." Jeanne said simply. "A plane is the most logical of choices."

"Alright, then!" Naruto said as he stood up and stretched. "Since it's already getting late, let me give you a lift. Try not to puke, alright?"

Jeanne frowned. "Wait, wha-?"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when Naruto grabbed her arm and took her with him as he disappeared into thin air.

* * *

"Our sponsors servants have seemingly failed. Didn't I tell you that it would have been far more appropriate to send lancer or Rider along?"

Sitting inside a dimly lit room that was decorated with rich products and furniture was a stunningly beautiful lady with long black hair that reached all the way down to the floor and matching black eyes. Her ears were shaped like an elf, and she wore a matching black dress that did absolutely nothing to hide her impressive cleavage that would make any woman angry with jealousy. She was definitely beautiful, but she gave off an air of danger.

Her companion next to her, however, was a young man with abnormally white hair and golden eyes. His skin was tan, and he wore priestly garments that had been covered by a red cape draped over his shoulder. In his hands was a thick bible book that looked worn from use.

"I simply wanted to test all of them. Lancer and Rider are strong heroes, but I wanted to make sure that berserker and archer wouldn't be a liability to our cause. From what they reported to me, rest assure that they won't be dead weight."

"What did they tell you, anyway?"

The man closed his eyes. "It seems Ruler has gone and summoned herself a servant. I admit, it seemed strange that Ruler's position went to Japan instead of Trifas, but it seems I was too late to figure out what she had been planning."

"She summoned herself a servant?" The woman questioned, calmly analyzing the situation. "Do they they know who she managed to summon?"

"Unfortunately, it seems that they do not know." The man said with a sigh. "Berserker only seems to follow Archer wherever he goes, and Archer wasn't paying attention to where they were at. He simply followed Ruler all the way to Japan and didn't bother to figure out which city they were in."

The woman growled. "Fools! They fail at their jobs and can't even bring anything salvageable? Idiots, the lot of them."

"Now, now, It's an honest mistake." The man said with a chuckle.

"Japan has given birth to hundreds of heroes." The woman scoffed. "You yourself should know that better than anyone."

"Indeed." The man said with a frown. "For now, we shall simply wait. Ruler will come here on her own soon enough. Once she does, we shall send more pressing servants to deal with them. Perhaps Lancer and Rider will be enough to get the job done."

"If you are planning on sending lancer, we'd best take precautions to make sure that the Archer of Black doesn't make any contact with him. As for the pirate, why would you want to send him?"

"Do not worry, I'm a careful person. I already have several precautions in place to make sure that the Archer of Black doesn't hear a thing about this. As for the pirate,his noble phantasm is stronger if he's fighting alongside a hero with a large amount of fame. Since our own lancer is quite famous by himself, they should compliment each other nicely."

"I would have rather sent the hunter. She has been complaining about not getting any work since she has been summoned here."

"She will have her time. Fear not Queen of Assyria, there will be many opportunities for us to finish Ruler. For now, we wait and see what will occur next." The man said, making the woman smile at his words.

"I suppose so."

"Now come, we have some guests that we have to meet."

* * *

One of the magi hired by the Association, Shishigou Kairi, has summoned Mordred. The Knight of Treachery possessed a power befitting a Saber-class Servant. At this moment, Shishigou is heading to the church on the hilltop in Sighisoara, with her in spirit form.

The city of Sighisoara was formed by a settlement of Saxons in the 12th century. Even within Europe, it is rare to find a city where the vestiges of the Middle Ages so strongly remain.

Sighisoara is also the closest city to Trifas outside the detection borderline of the Yggmillennia and their Servants. It was a wise choice for them to position themselves here. While Trifas is too dangerous to enter, being the enemy's home ground, Bucharest is also simply too far.

The status of the enemy Servants remain unknown, but it seems for their own - that is, the Red - side, it can be sensed that all the Servants have already been summoned. Saber has confirmed that the other six Servants have been gathered.

Seeing as they have been preparing for this for some time, it would not be strange for the Yggdmillennia to also have summoned all their Servants. In all likelihood, war will break out at any moment.

In any case, Shishigou walked up the dome-roofed staircase towards the designated location. Said to contain one hundred and seventy-two steps, this staircase as well as the Church on the Hill are both famous sights.

Suddenly, Saber spoke to Shishigou.

 _"...There's something I want you to do, Master."_

"Yeah? What is it?"

 _"Buy me some clothes."_

For a while, Shishigou could not find the words to respond to this utterly unexpected request.

"...Why?"

 _"Staying in this form makes me ill at ease. I cannot calm myself without my own feet planted on the ground. And I cannot walk around the city, even during the day, whilst wearing this."_

It is true that her 'clothes', or rather, full suit of armor could not possibly be worn in public. Then again, the majority of the Holy Grail War is to be conducted during the night, so it is not exactly a pressing need...

 _"Do this for me. I trust that my Master is not such a miser that he would begrudge sparing some coin for mere cloth?"_

"...Guess I don't have much of a choice."

Selfish git, Shishigou sighed. But it was nine in the morning, so they probably would not find any shops open yet. For the time being, he decided to leave it until after the meeting.

Just before he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the vaguely rocket-shaped church. Confirming that there was no one nearby, he reached out towards the door; it was nine o'clock, just as arranged. Suddenly, a man appeared from the churches entrance. He had long black hair and a lit cigarette in his hand.

"Lord El-Melloi II." Kairi began as he stepped out of the car. "It's good to see you again, sir."

"Likewise." Waver said with a nod. "For once, you're not late. At least you're not taking things too lightly." He nodded his head towards the blond. "And I'm guessing that she is Servant Saber?"

"Right on the money as usual." Kairi said with a nod. "Saber, this is Lord El-Melloi II. He's the Master of Rider and one of the leading figures in the Clock Tower. Rest assured, you can trust this man with anything."

"I see..." Mordred nodded, acknowledging Waver's presence. She wasn't too keen on relying on others, not having lots of trust to allow her to do so. If her master spoke so highly of this man, however, then she believed that she wouldn't have a problem working with him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Saber." Waver said with a nod of his own. He gestured to the the entrance of the church. "Now, let us go. The meeting has already started."

* * *

Before heading into the building, Kairi had ordered saber to go into spirit form before they knew what they were getting into. He may trust waver, but he couldn't say the same for the others. He knew the ways of working of Magi and knew that any of them would backstab each other if they got in the ways of their goals.

Luckily, Saber agreed and they didn't have any problems.

Upon entering the church, they came upon a table that was set up in front of the alter. Sitting at the table was a bunch of teenagers, if what their youthful looks practically screamed out to him.

"Teenagers?" Kairi thought to himself.

Seeing the look on his face, Waver chuckled. "I know. They may be young, but they are experienced in these types of situations. Allow me to introduce you..."

The girl he pointed to looked like she was around 14 to 15 years of age. She had blond hair and green eyes with a blue cap over her head that had a silver rose ornament attached to it. She wore a blue dress that matched the cap that was decorated with silver crosses on the side of her sleeves. She also wore a white blouse that resembled something that only the wealthy and rich could afford to wear. Probably imported from Europe.

"This is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. Current head of the Archibald Family."

The girl sipped tea as she trained her gaze on Kairi. "Hm... So the world class mercenary is an ape."

"Hey..." Kairi muttered with a pouty look that was odd to see on a man.

"Stop antagonizing him, Reines. He's an associate of mine." Waver said with a sigh, causing the girl to giggle. "Moving on..."

The next person he pointed to was a person with a hood covering most of their face, not giving anything away. However, guessing by the body size and the short blond hair that managed to peak out of the hood, it was probably a girl.

"This is my apprentice, Gray." Waver said, a small amount of pride leaking into his voice. "She's quiet most of the time. Gray, introduce yourself to Kairi."

"Hello." The girl said quietly without lifting up her head. Kari just lifted his hand up in greeting, as if vocalizing anything would scare the girl.

His gaze suddenly turned on the last person at the table. He had white hair and tan skin. His eyes were a healthy shade of gold in color. He was wearing the standard issue black priest garb with a red a red cape over it. Plastered on his face was a child like smile, but it made Kairi's guard go up. The dude's smile creeped him out. It was completely devoid of warmth despite his status as a priest.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kairi Shishigou. I am Shirou Kotomine and a representative of the church. Member of the section of The Assembly of the Eight Sacraments."

"A representative from the church? I do believe I haven't been informed of that." Kairi muttered as he and Waver sat down.

"The church sent a representative of theirs to help supervise us. They just don't trust us enough to participate on a war over a wish granting device with the name of one of their most holy relics." Waver explained, although his tone had a sarcastic note to it. "On a side note Kotomine, where are the Pental brothers? I was told that they were assigned to pick you up."

"Yes, about that..." Shirou began with his smile becoming a little bit sheepish. "They told me that they were going to have to resign from the war.

Everyone widened their eyes at that.

"What? Explain in detail!" Waver demanded.

"They didn't tell me much when they picked me up." Shirou explained. "They said that they had personal problems that they had to deal with. And as a proud man of God, I didn't ask them for information. Fortunately, they both left their command seals and servants to me."

Looking at the dubious expressions on their faces, Shirou sighed and pulled out a scroll. "Here. It's the contract that will show you that I'm telling the truth. I used a geis scroll so I could make sure that it was absolute."

As Waver's eyes scanned the writings on the scroll, his brow furrowed. "It's the real thing. Handwriting seems to be on point. Whether or not they did this willingly could be called into question."

"Like I said, I'm a man of God. I am honor bound to never lie to you. I also only control them in form only. Since I'm not their real master, they still receive energy from the brothers." Shirou said with a frown, obviously offended by Waver's accusations. Waver just sighed and tossed the paper back onto the table.

"Very well. As long as we have their servants, we still hold equal ground. It is not a complete loss. But enough of that, how about we have our servants materialize themselves?"

"What would be the point of such an action?" Reines asked with a frown.

"A show of trust." Waver said simply as he snapped his fingers. "Rider, come on out."

"Yes! The king of conquerors would never pass up the chance to introduce himself!"

In the air behind Waver, a large hulking mass of a man appeared. He had messy red hair that also formed downwards into his beard. His choice of attire consisted of standard greek armor and a massive red cape that was draped across his back.

"Greetings, my allies! I am the King of Conquerors, Iskander! It is a pleasure to meet my master's comrades. But before we introduce ourselves, I must ask a question: Will any of you join my glorious army?"

Absolute silence reigned over everyone besides Waver as they stared at the hulking man with stunned expressions.

"Fool. To declare your title in such circumstances... Truly, you are a jester."

Golden dust formed behind Gray before it solidified into a man who shined brightly like the sun. His armor and hair we're golden yellow while his eyes were calculating red that seemed to judge everything it landed on.

"And besides, there is only one true king in the entirety of history and it is I, The king of Heroes! The fact that you don't realize my glory upon glance simply tells me that you are just as ignorant as everyone else in the room." The man declared with a smug look on his face.

Iskander frowned. "Oh? So you're a king as well? Then introduce yourself! No king should ever hide his name from his future subjects!"

"Hah! As if I would ever waste several seconds of my life to do so. However, I will tell you which class I am as a small boon. I am an Archer and will be on your side from now on. However, when this petty war is said and done, I will teach you the true power of a king."

"I look forward to it!" Iskander said with a grin, not caring at the blatant threat of his life, causing Waver to face palm with a sigh.

"Archer, please don't make enemies with our allies..." Gray said quietly to her golden servant.

To everyone's surprise, the golden Archer's eyes softened a little bit as he turned his head to the side. "Hmph. Whatever you say, master."

Next to Kairi, Saber materialized with her helmet on. "Servant Saber, nothing more."

Kairi noticed out of the corner of his eye that Shirou seemed to be frowning at her. Was that a look of disappointment?

"Oh? Kings who fight their own battles? I guess we can get along." A man with green hair formed at Reine's side. Like Iskander, he was greek in appearance and wore armor with greek design to it. He had an orange sash tied around him that strapped a spear to his back.

"Servant Lancer. I personally don't like kings, but I hope we can get along." Lancer said with a light grin.

Lastly, there was a woman in a beautiful black dress. The most unusual part of her was the pointed elf ears that she had. If she were any shorter, anyone would have probably mistaken her for a real elf of the sorts.

Her sudden appearance next to Kairi made him jump in surprise, earning a giggle from the woman. Seeing this, Saber immediately went to her master's aid.

"Foul hag, are you attempting to mock my master?!"

The woman just smiled. "Oh no. It was just a little joke, knight."

Shirou sighed. "Assassin, stop messing around. Come over here."

"As you wish, master." Assassin said as she stood beside him.

Noticing something was wrong, Waver decided to speak up.

"Kotomine-san, where are Berserker and Caster?"

"Caster and Berserker can't attend today." Shirou replied. "Berserker is quite the troublesome servant to deal with. Since Caster is the only one who was able to be around him without aggravating it, we let him stay with Berserker to keep him in check. If I were to summon here though, I doubt the amount of servants would deter him from rampaging."

"Understandable." Waver nodded, accepting the excuse. "Now then, since everyone has finally introduced themselves, let us get on with the meeting."

"Of course." Shirou said as he took out a map and laid it out on the table. "The church has confirmed that the Greater Grail is beneath the Yggdmillenia clan's castle. Just as the details say, it is apparent that they are indeed the cause of the war."

"There is the possibility that the grail they are holding is possibly a replica." Kairi pointed out.

"The association and the Church have considered the possibility. However, it doesn't matter. Even if it's fake, we can't leave it in the hands of the Yggdmillenia." Waver said.

"Who knows what they would do with such a possession." Shirou said with a sigh. "On another note, there's another thing we need to discuss."

"Hm? And what would that be, catholic?" Reines asked with a frown.

"The intervention of the Ruler class servant." Shirou said simply, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Ruler... class?" Gray muttered in confusion. She had studied the Holy Grail War before she came to Trifas. She hadn't heard anything of such a servant before.

"It's a special servant class that is summoned to mediate the war." Shirou explained to the young girl. "Since the grail war has expanded quite a bit, it is only logical that the grail would want someone neutral to govern both sides."

The golden haired archer frowned. "Tell me, what makes this class so special? Only someone like me should be given such a class!"

"The Ruler of the war is given command seals for each servant that is summoned. It's a formality so that Ruler can evoke punishment amongst any servant that go against the war's rules." Shirou said, making the archer scowl.

"Preposterous! Should this so called Ruler ever evoke one of those lowly seals on I, then there will be blood that shall be spilled!"

Everyone leaned away from the golden archer upon his declaration. They had all heard about being prideful, but the golden archer seemed to take things way too far. Although, it was something they probably shouldn't have been too surprised about.

"Boy, do you perhaps have any information on the enemy servants that we will be facing? As a commander, it would shame me if I didn't cover the basics before we started." Rider said suddenly. Shirou nodded and tossed several files on the table.

"Their servants are all exceptional. But we are unfortunately not able to get a picture on any of them."

"How were you not able to get any sketches or pictures on them?" Reines asked with a scowl.

Shirou looked offended at the statement. "I'm sorry, but none of the people I sent are exactly what you'd call artists. Even if they were, getting closer to them would be way too dangerous. Even familiars are shot down before they can pick up anything of notice."

Waver picked up one of the files and weighed it in his hands, feeling how thick it was. Sighing, he opened it up to the beginning page and was met with a wall of writing. "These files are certainly large. Let's start reading and get through this as quickly as we can. While we're at it, let's go fire the guy who made these. Whoever did it could have organized it better."

Shirou's face made something between a sad face and a pout if that was possible. "Hey... I was the one who did it. It's not my fault that you're too impatient to read."

"Piss off, Papist." Kairi growled in annoyance as he picked up a file. By God, he hated reading these things.

* * *

"Solid ground at last!" Jeanne muttered in excitement as she finally stepped out of the airport.

This had been the second time she had been on an airplane, and she wouldn't miss it. She had already gotten details about it from the grail, but she disliked the feeling of the cramped seats on the airplane. They were too small for her to freely move her legs.

Despite that, it had given her a lot of time for her to catch up on praying silently. She hadn't said a single prayer since she had been summoned so she had thought that it would have been better late than never on the airplane.

"Do you not like airplanes, Jeanne?" Naruto asked casually as he walked beside her. He had changed into a plain orange shirt and ripped jeans that he had managed to pull off really well. In fact, it worked a little bit _too_ well.

Jeanne was not a stranger to fans. She was always followed by hordes of fans whenever she wasn't on the battlefield. Usually Gilles would be the one who would be leading them. But the attention Naruto was getting was absolutely absurd. Wherever they went, women would always be turning their heads at the whiskered blond.

She still felt like she couldn't blame them, though. She wasn't one to focus on these things, but even she could tell that Naruto was quite handsome for a 4000 year old man. His body was in tip top shape and his looks were definitely something that no man could possibly match.

She blushed a bit before she scolded herself. "Bad thoughts, Jeanne. Bad thoughts. A lady like you shouldn't be thinking things like that."

"Jeanne."

Jeanne blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yes, Naruto?"

"What are we supposed to be doing?" The shinobi asked as they stepped out onto the street.

"We're supposed to be heading for Trifas." Jeanne said as she pulled out a map. "It's quite a ways away from here. We should be able to get there in a few hours if we hitchhike the rest of the way."

"I could make that distance easily." Naruto said with a grin, making Jeanne pale as she remembered the last time Naruto had said that.

"I'd rather not." She said simply, making Naruto frown.

"Aw... But I promise I'll go much slower than last time! I admit I should have given you a little bit of time to prepare, but I'm soorrrry!" Naruto pouted with a cute face, making Jeanne's heart break at the sight. She had thought that only women were ever capable of making such a face like that, but apparently Naruto was the only exception.

"Fine." She relented with a sigh. "Just go slower this time."

Naruto grinned. "Great! By the way, try not to scream so loudly. I think I burst an eardrum when you did it."

This time it was Jeanne's turn to pout. "I-it wasn't that lou-!"

She suddenly felt her voice die in her throat as she was suddenly whisked away by the blonde shinobi again. Naruto simply smirked in amusement as he ran in the direction to Trifas. He was a carefree spirit, and it had been a while since he ever needed a purpose in his life. The grail war might have been the break he needed from the same boring routine of life he did everyday.

And being a thrill seeker at heart, he was excited to get started.

* * *

Jeanne held tightly to Naruto as they blitzed past the countryside. He was going much slower than last time, but it was still faster than anything she was used to riding. Even the fastest horse during her time was not as fast as Naruto.

She suddenly felt herself get nearly thrown off to the ground when the shinobi suddenly halted in his tracks.

"What is it?" She asked with concern as his normal carefree look turned serious.

"Servants. Two of them." Naruto said as he gently let her down on the ground. "Both of them are ahead of us. I can also sense that one of them is exceptionally stronger than the other."

Jeanne frowned and immediately used her senses to scan for any servants in the immediate area. Sure enough, she sensed the presence of two servants in front of them. And just like Naruto said, one of them was clearly quite stronger than the other by a large amount.

She frowned when she realized that the servants weren't among those that had been summoned for the grail war. Like Billy the kid, they were unknown anomalies that she had no information on. It was starting to trouble her with the amount of unknown servants that were popping up.

"Orders?"

"We see what they want." Jeanne said as she materialized her armor. "If they prove to be a threat to the grail war, we eliminate them."

"Understood." Naruto nodded in agreement.

The two of them continued straight for several kilometers before they finally ran into the servants sitting atop of a battered motorway sign. Using her abilities as Ruler, she instantly deciphered the identities of the two servants and immediately increased her guard against them.

The servant on the right was a pale sickly man that had snow white hair. Despite looking like he would keel over at any moment, he looked deadly calm and carried himself with an aura of nobility and danger that matched Naruto's own. He was Karna, the invincible hero of the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic. He was born of the sun god Surya, if the burning coat of fire behind him was any indication. He was basically India's equivalent to Heracles.

The servant on the right was a total opposite of the Indian hero. He was a buff scraggly man with a long pointed hook attached to his right hand. He wore a decorated coat with nothing underneath, showing abs of steel. His true name was Edward Teach. More commonly known as Blackbeard. A famous figure that was said to have been the base of every pirate out there and by far the most famous out of all of them.

"Servant Ruler I Presume." Karna spoke out loud when he saw them.

"The pretty lady managed to summon a servant of her own too! Guess the cowboy wasn't messing with us." Blackbeard grinned as he eyed Jeanne a little bit too closely for her liking.

"What of it, lancer, Rider? Or should I say, Karna and Blackbeard?" Jeanne questioned, causing the two servants to tense.

"For you to discern our names so quickly... You truly are Ruler." Karna said as he materialized a long metal spear in his hand.

"For you to point a weapon at my master is a big no, no for me." Naruto said as he brought his hands out of his pocket. "On whose orders are you doing this? Better yet, what are you getting out of this?"

"We don't know." Blackbeard admitted, making the pair blink in surprise. "We were just ordered to kill the Ruler class and report back safely. Of course, I was hesitant to do so at first when Bill said that the Ruler was a woman, but I was promised pay for my work by my master. Money is money, after all."

"Either way, this is a declaration of war." Karna said as he raised his spear. "I do not know who your servant is Ruler, nor do I particularly care. Either way, allow me to settle this battle in one strike!"

"I'd like to see you try, demigod!" Naruto taunted as he charged forward to meet the Indian hero, leaving the pirate and Jeanne to face each other.

"It is not too late for you to turn back." Jeanne spoke, causing the pirate to chuckle.

"Sorry, lass. Orders are orders." Blackbeard said with a grin as he charged forward with his hook.

And with that, the first major battle of the war has begun.

* * *

In the fortress of the Yggdmillenia, the Archer of Black suddenly tensed as he felt a strange burst of energy in the air. He had been stationed in the tallest tower to have a view of the entire perimeter, but he couldn't see where the energy was coming from.

Whatever it was, it was disturbingly familiar to him. It was heroic and just, yet he felt the urge to tear it apart with his bow.

He shook his head. He couldn't let his feelings interfere with his judgement. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned around and was greeted with the sight of his master, Fiore Yggmillenia. The designated heir to the clan. She was a girl that was born with great magical potential, but the magic circuits in her legs caused paralysis that could not be healed without damaging the circuits, leaving her stuck in a wheelchair.

"Hello, Master."

"Hello, Archer." The girl said with a smile. "You have been up here for quite some time. You should come down and rest for a little while. We already have berserker patrolling the grounds to give you some time to rest."

"This is nothing. Long days of patient waiting is a requirement for being a good archer." Archer said with an amused smile. "But if you insist, I shall join you."

Fiore suddenly frowned as she eyed the bow in his hand, which was pulsating with barely constrained power. "Are you alright? You seem a little bit worked up."

Archer's smile faltered a little bit. "I am fine, master."

That man's claim didn't fool her one bit. Knowing that she needed to get her point across, she needed to address him in a way like a mother scolding her child.

"Arjuna... You're terrible at lying."

The archer blinked before sighing. "Honestly, it's nothing. It's possibly some servants battling in the distance, but it's nowhere near here. Please, don't go worrying over me when you should be worrying about yourself."

Fiore frowned a bit before sighing. "Fine. If that's the case, then why don't you help me get around? My arms are getting quite tired."

Arjuna smiled and dissipated his bow before he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "Of course, master."

Fiore just smiled as she let her servant cart her away. Ever since she had summoned him, he had been a quiet and reserved person. Whatever had managed to work it up wasn't just some random servant battle. Right now, however, she chose to worry about it later and let herself react.

Being the heir to the family was a huge chore for her.


	3. Chapter 3 (Apocrypha)

Naruto never thought of himself as a powerful weapon user. During his days as a genin and the Seventh Hokage, he never considered using any weapon besides his fist and Kunai during battle.

Of course, being alive for thousands of years gives you a lot of free time on your hands. After retiring as the seventh hokage, he still felt it necessary to acquire new skills and perfect his old ones. Thus, he learned weapons training from one of his closest friends, Tenten. The weapon mistress of Konoha, and an absolute weapons freak.

Summoning a black truth seeking orb into his hand, he changed the form of the sphere to elongate into a long black staff. Normally, the orbs were used as a projectile to crush everything it came into contact with, but its ability to shape shift gave it great versatility in combat.

Karna eyed the lance with a critical eye before he flicked his lance forward at an impressive speed of explosive force. Naruto's eyes widened at the speed and quickly brought the lance up to block the strike.

He felt himself get pushed back slightly from the strike and gritted his teeth in annoyance while Karna gave him an impressed look.

"To block a single swipe of my spear is a feat most heroes couldn't accomplish." The indian hero noted as he put more pressure on his spear, straining to break through Naruto's own truth seeking lance. "You are a class above most of the servants that could have been summoned."

"I've blocked worse." Naruto said with a sly grin as he swiped out with his foot and sent it crashing into Karna's chest. He suddenly winced in slight pain as he felt more resistance than what the sickly looking man should have given him.

He had heard about the legendary hero before. After all, both of their legends were quite similar. The weapon in Karna's hands was the Vasavi Shakti. A spear that was told of in legend as a weapon that was too powerful for the Indian gods to handle and was gifted to Karna after having his armor and earrings stolen by the thunder god Indra.

It was a spear that held power that could make hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers. The shinobi didn't have any doubt that the spear could possibly destroy a tailed beast if it managed to score a direct hit on them.

But it seems that the demigod wasn't willing to use such an attack... yet.

Recovering with astonishing speed, Karna launched forward and sliced the spear outward towards the shinobi's head. Using his trained reflexes, he ducked underneath the swing and brought his own spear up, forcing Karna to back off as the attack grazed his chest.

"Tch." Karna muttered in slight annoyance as his foot lashed out and nearly managed to take Naruto's head off. Channeling chakra to his feet, he suddenly appeared in front of Karna and raised his right hand to form the standard form of his rasengan before slamming it straight into Karna's chest.

"Take this!" Naruto yelled as he sent the indian hero flying backwards and across the ground as the sphere of chakra drilled into him. Slamming into a wall with enough force to completely shatter it, Naruto suddenly blinked in surprise as Karna once again stood up without a slight change of expression and looking relatively unharmed.

"Okay..." Naruto muttered as he scratched his head. "Shouldn't you be dead by now? I mean, a skinny looking guy like you shouldn't have been able to tank one of my special attacks that easily without a scratch."

The pale man's face seemed to twitch in annoyance at his description. "Do not mistake my appearance for weakness. My set of armor, Kavacha and Kundala, is like a second layer of skin. It is an armor made out of hard light that made me invulnerable to any damage in life, physical or conceptual. It was stolen from me in my legend, but it seems that I have regained use of it when I was summoned as a servant." He suddenly winced as he placed his hand over the scorched mark on his chest from Naruto's rasengan. "It is supposed to negate all damage to a tenth of its original value, but it seems that I still took quite the amount from your attack."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and shifted his stance as Karna pointed his spear at him.

"I will give you credit for harming me. Although, it is quite clear how this battle is going to turn out." Karna said with a small smile. "Your use of the spear is clumsy. It is not refined enough to be considered exceptional by any soldiers standard."

"Well... That's certainly true." Naruto admitted with a sigh. "I much prefer to use my fists in a fight. Weapons were something I didn't concern myself with when you could pummel your opponent with your barehands. However..." He pointed his spear in challenge with a grin. "As mediocre as I was before, I can feel myself catching up to you. There was only one way for me to ever catch up to my peers and this time is no exception."

Karna's eyebrow raised at that declaration. "Impossible. Even for me, it was not possible to simply get better at a weapon by exchanging blows with someone for a few minutes." He suddenly paused when he felt something odd. "Strange... I do not seem able to tell if your lying or not. I have never met an individual who has been able to deceive me until now."

Naruto grinned. "I also have the ability to read peoples emotions like a book. Quite helpful in discerning whether a person is evil or not. Now then... Let us get back to the fighting, shall we?"

Karna paused for a moment before he charged forward and began swinging his spear in a consecutive barrage of strikes. A feat that should have been impossible with the size of his spear, but his own martial prowess made it possible. At such speeds, it would have been impossible for his target to dodge or block the strikes unless they had equal martial prowess in the use of spears.

Which was why his eyes widened as Naruto began deflecting each of his attacks with his own spear. His strikes were faster, quicker, and more precise than the last time they had exchanged blows. His own technique that stepped into the realm of the gods was slowly being pushed back by the blonde shinobi.

"Surprised? Don't be. I'm unpredictable for a reason." Naruto chuckled as he blocked another heavy strike with his spear before sending a kick straight into Karna's side and sending him flying down the road.

"Impossible..." Karna thought as he smashed through a steel sign and skidded to his feet. "His technique has improved in such a short amount of time. Is it some sort of ability?"

"Like I said, there was only one way for me to get better." Naruto said as he slung the spear over his shoulder. "When I was younger, I was the weakest among my peers. Over time, however, I learned to depend on others to help me get stronger, and become the person I am today."

Karna paused. "I see..."

"In a way, I guess I should thank you." The blonde said with a shrug. "My spear has improved dramatically because of you. As compensation, I will allow you 10 seconds to run away."

Karna blinked in surprise before a ghostly smile formed on his face. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. Besides, it seems like my partner has decided to get serious."

Naruto frowned for a moment, before his eyes widened as a floating pirate ship materialized in the air, sails and all.

"Your time has run out. Surrender, and I promise that your death will be quick and painless. Besides, my partner won't let Ruler escape."

"Nah, she's got this." Naruto said with a shrug, causing the man to frown.

"Eh?"

"Master has this under control."

"...How can you be so sure?" Karna asked with a suspicious look as Naruto stared at the ship with a smirk.

"Call it intuition."

* * *

"For a girl, you sure have some moves!" Blackbeard laughed as he stabbed forward with his hook.

"Please stop with the flattery." Jeanne muttered dryly. She had been in many combat scenarios before, but her opponent was beyond bizzare. For the past few minutes, he had done nothing but talk and laugh while they fought.

"Yare yare, lighten up a bit." Blackbeard sighed as he threw a fist forward, obliterating a stone wall as Jeanne dodged to the side.

Jeanne just shook her head and didn't bother with responding. Talking with the man got her nowhere. He was completely sworn to secrecy and wasn't intending to tell her anything.

He was also a fierce opponent. He was a hulking mass of muscle that tore through everything in front of him. Instead of fighting with a sword like a normal pirate, he fought with a hook and his fists. It didn't seem to effect him in any way, however, as he still deflected her blows and dodged out of their way.

She had considered using a command seal to force the pirate and the demigod to commit suicide, but she had no idea if their masters would counter the absolute order with a command seal of their own. Since she only had a limited amount to use, she couldn't afford to waste two here.

It was annoying, but she wouldn't voice her complaints. She had to focus on staying alive and not get herself gutted to death.

Luckily, the man in front of her was not very fast.

Anticipating the man's next punch, she dodged to the side and swiped her sword out quickly, feeling it bite into Rider's body.

"Oh no!" Rider screamed dramatically as blood sprayed out of the now open wound. "I've been blazed!"

"What does that even mean?" Jeanne thought to herself in exasperation. She didn't have time to think about it, however, when Rider suddenly stood up and gave a hearty laugh.

"A little scratch like this won't do me in, little girl. Unfortunately, I am not stupid enough to get closer to you." Rider said as he clapped his hands, causing Jeanne's eyes to widen as a massive shape suddenly formed over his head.

"Say hello to Queen Anne's Revenge!" The pirate cackled as he jumped high and landed on the prow of the ship. "Fourty cannons on the Queen Anne, you can't stop this!"

At his word, the ship sprouted cannons and pointed them into the air as it turned toward the saint.

"This is bad..." Jeanne muttered as she eyed the ship in front of her. She didn't have any noble phantasms that could destroy objects as large as the ship in front of her. It's not like her sword could shoot beams.

What really worried her was the amount of attention this could cause. A bombardment from all fourty of those cannons would obliterate everything in the surrounding area.

She could call Naruto here, but he was busy dealing with a bigger threat. As such, she would have to rely on her flag to utilize her ultimate defense.

As she prepared to summon her stand to her hand, she suddenly felt the presence of another strong entity in the area.

"Another servant?" She thought in surprise while Blackbeard continued cackling obliviously.

"Say your prayers, lass!" Blackbeard said as he raised his arms. "All cannons, fire!"

There was an explosion of sound from the ship, but it wasn't the cannons that had caused the noice. In the blink of an eye, the ship suddenly began falling apart as it was split down the middle.

"Nani?! Bakana!" Blackbeard screeched in shock as he held tight onto the collapsing prow in a comical manner as the ship disappeared and he plummeted towards the ground.

"I do believe that this farce has drawn out for too long!"

Jeanne turned towards the sound of the voice and was greeted with the sight of a well dressed portly man. He didn't look like anything impressive, but it was obvious that he was a master.

A form materialized at his side, turning into a well built man with white hair and decorated with ornate armor. In his right hand was a huge two handed sword that was way too huge for an ordinary human to wield.

She immediately discerned him upon sight, and was impressed with what she saw. The man in front of her was the dragon slayer Siegfreid. One of the most famous heroes out of Europe, garnering fame equal to King Arthur.

"Master!"

Jeanne turned once again and saw Karna running towards her with an annoyed look while Naruto chased after him. Sticking out of the demigod's shoulder was a black rod that Karna broke off and tossed behind him.

Seeing this, the portly man pointed towards the demigod. "Saber! Do not let this vile scourage harm Ruler!"

Siegfried nodded and rushed forward to intercept Karna's spear with his own sword, disturbing the air as the force of their strength collided.

"Another servant..." Karna muttered as he stared at the dragon slayer with an annoyed look. "Step away, Saber. This does not concern you."

Saber simply remained unresponsive to the order. He was a servant who didn't back down to a mere threat, no matter how strong the opponent was.

"Incoming!"

Karna's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered why he had been running in the first place. He only had time to turn his head as Naruto's foot smashed into the side of his face and sent him flying into a wall once again.

"Took you long enough." Jeanne said as Naruto dusted himself off.

"He gave me a little bit of trouble." Naruto admitted. He could have ended the battle early using his other high powered jutsu, but the entire town would have been wiped off the map.

"So you are servant Ruler... and this must be your servant that we have been informed of." The man spoke, drawing both of their attention.

"Indeed we are. And you are?" Jeanne asked.

"It is a pleasure to meet the two of you. I am Gordes Musik Yggdmillenia. Master of Saber of black."

At the mention of his name, the dragon slayer simply raised his free hand in greeting while Gordes turned his attention back to the two enemy servants.

"Vile servants of red! You dare to attack the mediator of the Grail War that was appointed by the Grail itself?! Such audacity cannot be allowed to stand! Prepare for the retribution that will be wrought before you by Ruler and her servant, as well as saber himself!"

Karna simply raised his lance in response to the man's words while blackbeard was busy trying to pull himself out of the rubble.

But Gordes words also had another meaning to them besides an issue of war. It was an invitation to get on Jeanne's good side by proclaiming to be on her side, using the attack against her to their advantage.

Before she could even voice her opinion on the statement, a bolt of lightning struck the pavement between the two sides, immediately putting everyone on guard.

"Cease your fighting!" A booming voice demanded as everyone looked up to see a chariot that was pulled by two bulls descended on the spot the bolt struck. Sitting in the chariot was a hulking behemoth of a man and an exasperated looking man with long black hair.

"Must you always make such a big scene?" The man grumbled as he gripped the chariots side like his life depended on it.

"Of course! A king must always have a good entrance!" The man boomed before he spread his arms out wide. "Good evening my fellow servants! I am the King of Conqueroros, Iskander! The Rider of Red for this war! I have come to invite all of you to my army!"

"..."

Silence regined across the field as everyone stared at the man with open mouths and stares. Even Naruto found himself speechless for once as he contemplated such a brazen action.

"You are such an idiot..." The master of Rider muttered as he face palmed.

"Oi, is this guy sane?" Blackbeard asked his partner, who simply shrugged.

"I... do not know." Karna said truthfully. He had seen people do many odd things in his life, but he had never been stunned speechless before.

"No one is going to accept?" Rider of red sighed. "Oh well. I guess it can't be helped." He suddenly pointed towards Gordes. "You! Don't go concerning the red camp with these two. The two of them are not a part of our glorious army!"

Gordes simply continued to gape at the man with an open mouth. Normally he would have been angry at being told off by a servant, but he couldn't bring himself to care about it after such a bizzare scene.

Still, hearing the declaration, he had to confirm it. He glanced at Ruler for confirmation, receving a nod.

"He isn't lying. I can't feel any connection with the other two. They're not part of this grail war." Jeanne said, making Gordes and Rider of Red's master widen their eyes in surprise.

"Then it seems the information that Shirou has provided us is true." Waver muttered to himself as he stared at the rogue servants, looking slightly concerned about the situation.

"Well... It's been fun, but I'm gonna go home. I have to repair my ship." Blackbeard said with a sigh as he turned around and began walking off, much to everyone's surprise.

"Are you abandoning our goals?" Karna asked.

"Well, it's not like we have a good chance of winning right now. Not with four servants on the field." Blackbeard said. Karna nodded in agreement and began following after the pirate.

"You are fleeing?!" Gordes exclaimed in disbelief in having someone turn their back on him.

"You can give chase to us if you wish." Karna began as he shot the man a piercing glare, making him freeze. "But if you do, then make sure that you are ready to die. I won't give you the luxury of retreat."

And with that, the two servants disappeared into spirit form and left the area.

"Do you want me to go after them?" Naruto asked as he eyed the spot the two were. "I could elminate them and make sure their not a threat to the war."

Jeanne shook her head. "No. Let them be. You have my permission to take care of them if you see them again, however."

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed before he eyed Rider of Red with a frown. "By the way, are you sure it was a good idea for you to reveal your name like that?"

"Hah! Of course it was! What kind of King would I be if I didn't announce my name before the great battle?"

Waver just simply groaned and began hitting his head on the side of the chariot.

"Were you born an idiot, jester?" A harsh voice questioned as a man with blond hair and golden armor appeared on top of a nearby street lamp.

"Oh? Seems like archer decided to follow along." Iskander noted, earning the appearance of a tick mark on the golden man's forehead.

"Fool. The king does not follow anyone. I was simply bored out of my mind so I went to go find something to relieve me." The archer of red said with an annoyed scowl before he turned his eyes towards Jeanne. "As for you, are you the one who goes by the name of Ruler, girl?"

Jeanne frowned for a moment. "Yes. That would be me."

"I see..." The archer muttered as he eyed her. "Tell me, girl... do you know what it means to be a Ruler?"

"W-what?" She asked, obviously surprised by the question. Before she could properly reply, however, a golden portal oppened up behind Archer and blasted a golden spear towards her at high speed.

"Ne, ne, Archer-san. Aren't you being a little too mean?" Naruto asked as he casually swatted the projectile away with a lazy flick of his hand. "She's no queen, but you don't have to lecture her about it."

The golden archer's eyes widened for a moment before scowling. "Tch. I was going to show her the true meaning of a Ruler."

"Even if the spear was meant to scare her, that is still no excuse for attacking her." Naruto said with a sigh.

The archer eyed him with an observing look. "You carry yourself like that of a soldier. However, you also speak with the voice of a leader. Tell me, who are you?"

Naruto blinked for a moment before shrugging. "I am Naruto Uzumaki. The seventh Hokage of the hidden leaf, Maelstorm, the god of Shinobi, etc." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm called a lot of names, but it'd be too long for me to list them all."

At this, Gordes and Waver's eyes widened as they heard his true identity. Suddenly, they felt like they were standing next to a highly volatile nuclear reactor.

"Impossible! Divine beings aren't able to be summoned as heroic spirits!" Gordes stated, making all of the servant's eyes widen.

"A divine being? I see... That explains the familiar aura I smell from you." Archer growled as several golden portals opened behind him. "I will eliminate you from my sight. The gods are not welcome to walk my garden."

"What are you going to do, pelt me with more of your sticks?" Naruto scoffed as he settled into a fighting stance.

"Of course you red servants wouldn't hesitate to fight Ruler's servant!" Gordes snarled. "Saber! Assist Ruler's servant at once!"

Just as it looked like all hell would break loose, Jeanne's voice stopped them from lunging at each othes throats.

"Please wait!"

Everyone froze and stared at her as she raised her hand out to stop all of them from moving. Taking a deep breath, she continued on.

"As the mediator of the Grail war, I declare a temporary ceasefire that shall begin from now until the next three days!"

"Nani?! Explain yourself, woman!" Archer declared with narrowed eyes.

"Hrm... my conquest of this entire town was to begin tomorrow..." Rider muttered to himself.

"Upon the anomalies that I have seen upon my arrival, I would like to have a day or two of investigation to find out more information on what is going on. With the appearance of several unknown servants, I have no choice but to get myself personally envolved in the matter. Should the case arise, I may need the help of both factions. Which is why I request that you all don't go killing each other quite yet."

"Very well," Waver spoke. "Your reasoning is sound. I do not have any problem with agreeing to your terms. The person you should be asking, however, is the man over there."

Gordes frowned in thought as he felt all of their eyes on him. "Hrm... I do not have the authority to agree to demans such as these, but I will take it up with Darnic and see what he has to say about the matter." He turned around and began walking back to the castle. "Come, saber! We must report this to Darnic!"

Nodding, Saber of black disappeared in a flicker as he turned into spirit form and followed after his master.

Archer grunted, seeing that everyone was leaving and withdrew his weaponry. Before disappearing, however, he gave Naruto and Jeanne a look.

"Prepare yourself for the next time we meet."

That was all he said before he disappeared.

"Well... I guess we should head back, Master." Rider said as he gripped the reins and the chariot began floating off the ground. "Farewell you two! Let me know any time if you would like to join my army!"

"Wait! Slow down you fool!" Waver cried out as he began gripping onto the chariot for dear life. Soon, there was a flash of lightning and the chariot disappeared into the niht sky, leaving Naruto and Jeanne alone once again.

"They were all unique individuals." Naruto commented before he turned to Jeanne with a concerned look. "Are you okay? Did you get cut anywhere?"

Jeanne giggled. "No. I am fine. I didn't receive any serious injuries."

Naruto grinned. "Good. That's nice to hear. Come on, lets get out of here."

"Yes, lets-"

Jeanne suddenly fell forward, leading Naruto to suddenly swoop in and grab her before she faceplanted into the ground.

"I see... It seems that your body has reached its limit." Naruto said as he heard her give out a tired yawn.

"I'm sorry, but fighting against a tough opponent like blackbeard took a lot more out of me than I thought. This is the result."

"There is no need to apologize." Naruto said softly as he helped support her in his arms. "Go ahead and sleep. I will take care of you until you wake up."

Finding a sense of comfort in his words, Jeanne let herself fall asleep in his arms and the shinobi soon found his charge sleeping quietly in his arms.

"Heh... She sure is cute when she sleeps." Naruto muttered as he looked at the peaceful expression on her face. Picking her up and carying her piggyback style, he began heading down the dirt road towards the city.

"Now then... time to find a place to nap."


	4. Chapter 4 (Apocrypha)

Semiramis, The Wise Queen of Assyria, thought that she would have never seen this side of her master for the entirety of the Grail War.

Despite being a young boy, he was far more mature and composed than others his age. He was a manipulator that could rival herself, and was always a calm and composed individual no matter the situation.

So watching him tap his fingers against the table infront of him with a distressed expression was something very new to her.

"So Ruler's servant is Naruto Uzumaki..." The priest muttered with an agitated expression as he tapped his fingers. "This... is certainly not good. Not good at all."

"It is certainly unusual to see you like this." Semiramis commented as she watched him in slight amusement. "What sort of individual could make a man like yourself quake in his boots?"

"This is not something to take lightly, Assassin." Shirou said with a serious tone, causing the woman to be taken aback by the rarely used tongue. "This man is a problem that needs to be taken care of immediately."

"Oh? What kind of person was he?" Semiramis asked, curious as to the man's backstory.

"He was one of the countless leaders of a powerful village in ancient Japan. Unlike me, being one of Japan's youngest heroic spirits, he is considered to be the first great hero to make his legend known to the rest of the world."

"A Ruler? I see..." Semiramis muttered before she smirked. "I have met many kings and male rulers during my time as queen and have managed to bend many towards my cause. This man won't be any different."

"I'm afraid it won't be so easy." Shirou said with a grave look. "Before he was a leader, he was a Shinobi."

"Shinobi?" Semiramis echoed, letting the unfamiliar word roll off her tongue.

"A ninja." Shirou translated. "He's someone that has countless experience with dealing with liars and deception. As good of a manipulator that you are, I doubt that you would be able to bend the man towards our cause as easily as the others."

"I see..." Semiramis muttered, starting to get a little bit worried at the development. "Then should we send another force after them?"

"We shouldn't even bother." Shirou grumbled in displeasure. "This man is responsible for defeating the beast of Gaia. Not some run of the mill creature like the Bull of Heaven, but THE beast of Gaia. A creature of overwhelming power that it could, with a single swish of its tail, cause tsunamis and earthquakes whenever it stepped."

"Are you sure you're not exaggerating?" Semiramis questioned, having heard tales of The Bull of Heaven and finding it quite hard to believe something so powerful could even trump it.

"I am not. After he defeated the beast, it split apart into 9 smaller beasts that were left to roam free in the wild as long as they promised not to cause trouble wherever they went. After a while, however, mankind wanted to utilize the beasts as weapons once again. Not wanting the peace to be threatened, it was said that he gathered all 9 of the tailed beasts and sealed them inside of him, effectively making him an existance above the gods themselves."

Semiramis remained silent as she processed all that she had been told. From what he had told him, the man was practically unbeatable in a normal sense. However, Karna said that he was still able to at least cause the man minor wounds without the release of his noble phantasm. If that was so...

"I will continue to work on my noble phantasm." Semiramis announced as she stood up. "We might need it sooner than we thought."

"Go ahead." Shirou said tiredly as Semiramis disappeared into spirit form.

Naruto Uzumaki, a man who transcended the realm of the gods. He was a person whose acomplishments and feats trumped even the most famous of heroes. Sealing the powerful tailed beasts inside of him gave him power that put him on a level far above servants. He wasn't even sure if the dog or the spider would be able to defeat him in single combat.

Legend never said where he went after he resigned from ruling the hidden leaf, but why did he have to choose now of all times to walk the earth once again?

He rubbed his head in annoyance as he soon began formulating plans to deal with the god. Gilgamesh was the only one who had the slightest chance of restraining him, but he didn't want to loose such a valuable piece.

For the time being, he chose to wait. Ruler's declaration of a three day ceasefire would give him time to think. Right now, he was heading to bed. Thinking too hard right now would get him nowhere.

* * *

"Brother..." Arjuna muttered to himself as he walked the hallways of the yggdmillenia castle.

He had heard of the report from Saber of Black's master, and didn't pay much attention to it at first until the description of a familiar person reached his ears.

His brother, son of Agni, was here.

He gripped his bow tightly. Even the mention of his name was enough to draw him into a rampage. While the two of them may have been similar and come from the same legends, both of them were entirely different.

Needless to say, their family problems were complicated.

He suddenly grunted in surprise when he turned the corner and bumped into a short woman with a dangerously short skirt and a purple beret.

She was Helena Blavatsky, the Caster of Black. A famous female leader born in the 19th century that became the founder of Theosophy.

A powerful and famous Magus that was rumored to have been able to hear the whispers of the Root, branding her with a sealing designation as people deemed such an ability to be too dangerous to let run loose.

"Oh! Archer!" Helena's eyes widened when she realized who she had just ran into. "What are you doing in this part of the castle?"

"My apologies." Arjuna muttered lamely. "I have just received news that my brother has just been sighted last night. As I am not allowed to go after him, I am simply trying to take my mind off of things."

The purple haired girl sighed. "You and your obsession with your brother. Why don't you try and relax once in a while?"

Arjuna wanted to comment that there was more to it than that, but he wisely remained silent. Arguing with a woman never did him any good.

"What's stopping you anyway? It's not like mere orders would simply stop you from getting out there and finding your brother, right?"

"My master, while strong in her own right, is the most vulnerable out of the rest of her peers. It would be strategically unwise for me to leave my master alone just so I can chase after my brother." Arjuna said with a noble look, although it was easy to tell that he would have rathered been out there shooting arrows at his brother.

"Awww! You're getting soft for your master!" Helena giggled as she poked the demigod's chest. "It looks like the son of Indra has a soft spot in his heart, huh?"

Arjuna simply sighed and pushed her hand back. "Do not treat me like I'm some sort of child, Helena. I am not a child."

"You're no fun..." Helena pouted in a cute manner. before her face became serious "By the way, what do you think of Ruler and her servant?"

Arjuna blinked. "I believe that Ruler herself is a strong hero by herself. Her servant, however..." He trailed off. No words were needed to describe what he felt about the partner of Ruler.

"I know... Everyone is completely on high alert right now." Helena muttered. She had never heard the legend of the Seventh Hokage, but her peers reaction to his name obviously set off warning bells in her head.

"It is nothing you should be worried about." Arjuna promised. "They aren't allowed to fight any of us unless they suspect that we are breaking the rules of the grail war."

"I know, but having people like them walking around makes me nervous." Helena admitted. As they were talking, a small robot suddenly floated next to Helena and made several noises, causing her eyes to widen.

"Ah! Master is calling for me!" She yelped as she began running down the hallway. "Don't worry too much about your brother, Arjuna! I'm sure you'll get your chance to see him eventually!"

Arjuna watched with a shake of his head as the girl disappeared around the corner and into her workshop. The girl may have been a workaholic, but he still got along greatly with her.

Walking down the hallway, he made his towards his master's room. He was already behind schedule and had to assist his master with her daily activities.

* * *

"Ugh..."

Slowly sitting up, Jeanne awoke from her slumber as bright rays of light shined down upon her. Despite the tiring battle that just occured yesterday, she felt oddly refreshed right now.

Looking around the plain room, she noticed that Laeticia's bags and belongings were laying in the corner of the room. Naruto had probably retrieved them for her after she passed out. She'd have to thank him later.

Swinging her feet off the bed and slipping on some slippers, she stepped out into the hallway to figure out where Naruto had taken her.

"Ah, it seems that you are finally awake."

She spun around in surprise and saw an elderly looking lady wearing the standard garb of a nun.

"Good morning. I am Alma Petoreshia, a sister of this church." The nun introduced with a smile. "You were fast asleep when your friend visited our church seeking shelter for the night."

"Ah, sorry for intruding on you like this." Jeanne apologized with a bow.

"There is no need for that, dear. After all, God has told us that we must always help those in need, correct?" The nun said with a giggle.

"Yes, I suppose." Jeanne agreed with a smile.

"Besides, your friend wa kind enough to volunteer his services this morning."

"...Volunteer?"

* * *

"Good to see you awake, Jeanne." Naruto said with a grin as he saw his master and the nun enter the room.

"Naruto?"

The blonde shinobi was standing at one of the kitchen sinks in his casual clothing. The only surprising difference was a decorated pink apron that was draped across him. On the kitchen table was a wide assortment of japanese food that varied from sushi to Ramen.

"Your friend has been kind enough to fix us breakfast. Although, this is quite large for a morning meal." The nun explained as she took a seat.

"Ahaha, sorry. It has been quite a long time since I had last cooked. I got a little bit carried away." Naruto said with a cheeky smile.

"Where did you even get all of this food? I don't remember having the ingredients to make such complicated dishes in the pantry." Alma asked.

"I went to the market." Naruto lied with a straight face. He felt bad for lying in a holy church, but he couldn't just tell the elderly woman that he simply created the ingredients out of nothing by using his chakra technique: Creation of All Things.

"Whatever the case is, we can't simply let all of this food go to waste." The sister said with a smile as she picked up her chopsticks.

Several minutes later, the three of them had already began digging into the food. Between the three of them, Jeanne was the one who ate the most. Surprising, since Naruto practically inhaled the ramen, making it hard for anyone to keep up with him.

"This is... Amazing!" Jeanne commented as she ate another piece of sushi. "I didn't know you could cook, Naruto!"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, it's just a few simple dishes. It's nothing special. I was an orphan for a time and had to learn to cook for myself."

He suddenly switched to his telepathy. " _Besides, when you have a lot of free time on your hand, you tend to pick up a few things. I'm not bad at playing basketball despite the fact that I started when I was 4562 years old."_

Jeanne didn't know how to respond to that. For some reason, in her heart, she felt like she had just lost something important to her. At least, that's what she thought. She didn't know about Laeticia.

* * *

"Lord Darnic."

The head of the black faction, Darnic Yggdmillenia, looked up from his desk to see a female homunculus at the door.

"What is it?" He questioned.

"The assassin and his colleague have just arrived. They are outside the door right now." The homunculus replied.

"Ah, better late than never. Bring them in." Darnic commanded.

The homunculus did as told and fully opened the door, letting a pair of individuals into the office. A man and a woman. The man was dressed in a black trench coat while the woman wore a black bodysuit and was carrying two black suitcases.

They were magi, but they were not of the ordinary. For one, no self respecting magus would ever be seen with a gun, and both of them each had a single machine gun strapped around their shoulder.

"I have been expecting you for quite a while."

"Our apologies. We encounter a few problems yesterday that needed to be addressed." The man said in an emotionless, but professional, tone.

"No matter. You're here now. That's all that matters." Darnic assured him as he stepped forward. "And what about your servant?"

"Of course. Assassin, come out." The man ordered. Suddenly, a form materialized slightly behind the man and to say Darnic was surprised is an understatement.

It was a girl. A small white haired girl who didn't look anything like he had expected her to be. For one, the skimpy piece of clothing she was wearing did absolutely nothing to cover her skin. Attached to her back was an array of sharp knives and various other cutting devices.

"This is... Jack the Ripper?" Darnic questioned with a frown.

"Believe me, it was quite the shocker for me as well." The man said as the little girl remained silent and stood slightly wary of the blue haired man.

"A little girl... Jack the Ripper." Darnic muttered before sighing. "Very well. You and your servant are welcomed among us. Do not make me regret my descision... Magus Killer."

Kiritsugu, The feared Magus killer, simply gave a cold smile as he found himself one step closer to the grail.

* * *

"Why do I have to go through with this?" Caules Yggdmillenia, brother of Fiore, asked himself as he followed after the two servants his grandfather had ordered him to keep in line.

His own servant, Berserker of Black: Frankenstein's monster or what the others like to call her, Frankie for short. Something she didn't seem to mind.

And his aunt's servant, Rider of Black: Twelfth paladin of Charlamenge, Astolfo.

His own servant was definitely not what he had been expecting. Instead of an undead monstrosity of horror, it had been a beautiful girl in a bridal dress with a horn sticking out of her forehead. She wasn't very talkative, and usually remained to herself.

Astolfo was also something out of his imagination. From what he knew of the legends, they definitely called him a man with unparalleled beauty. The person in front of him, however, looked nothing like a man and more like a little girl.

When he tried asking him about it, he simply said with a cheeky smile, 'Well, none off it really matters!'

Ever since Uncle Gordes came back with the message of a ceasefire order from Ruler, Astolfo had immediately rounded on his master to take him out to town. Since Aunt Celenike didn't like to waste a single day, however, he soon found himself as the defacto babysitter for the servant.

Having no other choice, he was forced to comply with the servants demands.

Luckily, Frankie decided to tag along with them. While she couldn't communicate much thanks to mad enhancement, it made her the perfect person to socialize with the talkative Rider of Black. In fact, it made her the only person in the entire castle to even tolerate his stories.

"Hey! Want some?" Caules suddenly stopped in his tracks as Rider shoved a Crepe in front of his face.

"No thanks. I never liked them." Caules said as he politely moved the desert away from his face, causing Astolfo to pout cutely at him.

"You're so uptight all the time! Even more so than archer... You won't get a girl if you continue to act like that all the time!" Rider said with a cross of his arms.

"What do girls have anything to do with this?" Caules asked with a small scowl while Frankie stared at the Crepe in her hands.

"You can ask Frankie if you want. She would agree with me!" Rider said with a smile, causing Frankie to look at the two of them in her usual expression.

"Guh..." She grunted.

"Nobody understands what she says." Caules said with a sigh.

"Yes... That is quite the problem." Rider muttered. "Can she understand us?"

"Ugh..." The girl grunted with a nod.

"Yeah, she can." Caules said. "Still... It's quite bothersome trying to talk with her about anything since she doesn't-"

"Wait." Rider suddenly spoke with a serious tone as he and Frankie suddenly tensed. Seeing the two of them like this, Caules immediately knew what was going on.

There was an unknown servant near them.

"Guh?"

"How many?" Caules asked, shaking a little bit.

"One. But this power... its not joke." Rider said with a grim face.

"But it's in the middle of the day! Do you think that any of them would actually attempt a pass at us with all these witnessess around?"

Yes, there were several civilians wandering around the street on their daily activities. However, it didn't mean that the servant would care about them. After all, any civilian could easily be killed to prevent the knowledge of magic being known.

He didn't know what the boundaries for Ruler's authority were, but he doubted that she would step in for a few civilian deaths.

"Should we retreat back to the castle?"

"Too late. The servant is already here." Astolfo said, much to Caules horror.

"E-eh?"

He suddenly froze up when a blond haired man walked into his view. Judging by how the two servants seemed to freeze when he got near them, the man was definitely the servant.

And Rider was right, his power was no joke.

Just being near him was like a weight had been put on Caules shoulders. The man may have looked rediculous with a plastic bag filled with groceries, but his mere presence was enough to make the air heavy around him.

"I-incredible..." Caules thought as the man got closer. The man radiated power so strong that he felt like he had his own gravity field. His piercing blue eyes were that of a leader, leaking charisma so noble, that it just made Caules want to get on his knees and bow before him.

"Hm... So I was right. There were two servants out in town." The man said as he casually sat down on a nearby bench.

"W-what about it?" Caules managed to gulp out. "Do you want to fight?"

To their surprise, the man just laughed and pulled out a cheese sandwich from his bag. "Fight? Sorry, but I'm not allowed to. Master would get angry if I started a fight here a now. She's supposed to supervise things, after all."

"That must mean you're Rulers servant." Astolfo spoke up, still on guard. "Naruto Uzumaki... Why have you come?"

"Oh, because I'm bored." Naruto admitted. "I don't have lots of things to do because my oath to neutrality. That being said, I do find this place quite enjoyable. Very peaceful and quiet."

"I didn't know a Ruler like you would like such thigs." Caules said with a frown, causing Naruto to grin.

"I'm very different from most of them." Naruto said with a shrug as he bit into his sandwich. "On another note, why are all of you guys here? I would have thought that you Yggdmillenia folk would have just stayed in the castle."

"Same reason as you! I'm Astolfo, Rider of Black!" Rider chirped, dropping his guard completely, much to everyones surprise. Even as Naruto made it clear that he wasn't here to fight. "My master was too busy with her work so Berserker's master was assigned to supervise us!"

"I would have rather stayed behind. And Rider, we're going to have a talk later about revealing your identity." Caules muttered while Frankie grunted in agreement. While she may be able to tolerate Rider's rants, it didn't meant that she liked him.

"Ahaha... Sorry." Rider laughed lamely while Naruto turned his attention towards the servant of madness.

"So the girl is a berserker, eh?" Naruto said with a questioning look, sensing some form of madness coming from her. "Can she talk?"

"Other than grunting? No. Mad Enhancement won't allow it." Caules said with Berserker grunting in confirmation.

"Shame. A pretty lady like her should at least be able to talk." Naruto said with a chuckle, causing the girl to look down in embarrassment with her hair covering her eyes.

"Seems like this servant is quite the flirt." Caules thought, although that was absolutely far from the truth. Naruto, despite having been married to Hinata, still couldn't comprehend a womans feelings or read the signs of love. He just speaks whats on his mind and calls em like he sees em.

"Enough about that." Naruto said as he stood up. "Have the Ygdmillenia agreed to the cease fire? It would put my master at ease if she were to know."

"Grandfather Darnic has agreed to it and should have sent a message to the Red camp. I don't know if they accepted, though." Caules admited.

"None of them except for caster are happy about it, though." Rider said with a sigh. "They just want to get to the fighting. I'm not much of a fighter myself, so I couldn't care less."

Naruto nodded in amusement. "I kinda guessed that. Anyway, thanks kid. Saves me the trouble of busting into the castle and asking your old man myself." He put a hand to his chin and muttered to himself. "Although I kinda wanted to make a grand entrance... All those explosive tags were for nothing."

The two servants and master exchanged looks and felt like an impending disaster had just been avoided.

"We should probably get back now." Caules said quickly, anxious to get himself out of there. "We promised to get back before sundown. Grandfather will be mad if we came back late."

"Heh, alright kid." Naruto said as he grabbed his plastic bag. "By the way, try to find a better place to put your comics. Especially the 18+ ones. Putting them inside of a book isn't exactly hard to find accidentally. Oh, and delete some pictures from your computer history."

Caules face suddenly looked like he had overheated. "W-what? H-how did you know about those?!" Realization finally dawned on his face. "Were you in my room?!"

Naruto shrugged. "Don't make it sound so weird. I visited both camps to get some intelligence and I swept all of the rooms to see if anything was out of the ordinary."

He wasn't a creeper. Nope. It was simply for intel gathering.

"Sure..." Caules muttered. He'd have to relocate his stash somewhere else.

"Alright, see you later kid. Try not to get yourself killed to early, okay?" Naruto said with a joking grin before he disappeared with an audible pop, leaving the three of them behind.

"So... what was he talking about?" Rider asked as he turned to Caules with an oblivious look.

"Nothing you need to worry about." He said quickly.

He seriously had to relocate his stash.

If Fiore got her hands on one... He'd be doomed.


	5. Naruto's stat sheets

**Stat sheet.**

 **Master: Jeanne d'Arc (Ruler)**

 **Class: ?**

 **Identity: Naruto Uzumaki**

 **Alignment: Chaotic Good**

 **(Despite having lived far longer than a normal human and seeing those close to him die off, he still retains his cheerful personality. Perhaps it's because he has moved on?)**

 **Alternate classes: All of them. The proof of having qualifications for all classes.**

 **Strength: EX**

 **(Can be augmented to various levels through the use of Chakra.)**

 **Endurance: EX**

 **(Having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him already gave him godly amounts of stamina. Sealing all of the tailed beasts inside of him has boosted these levels to near infinite amounts. It also doesn't help that it also gives him regeneration akin to the first hokage.)**

 **Agility: EX**

 **(Like his strength, it can be augmented to various levels by the control of his chakra. His speed is crazy enough that he is even able to move freely in space and keep up with the first user of Chakra, who was revered as a goddess.**

 **Magic resistance: EX**

 **(Allows only for magic of equal rank to harm him.)**

 **Luck: A+**

 **(Do we even need to say anything? Naruto's luck has been one of the many factors about him that saved him on more than one occasion when he was younger. The amount of luck he has could be considered equal to, or better than, Arjuna. A person who was blessed with absolutely absurd divine intervention in his myth.)**

 **Special Skills:**

 **Riding: A++**

 **(He can ride a freaking huge demon fox. If he can ride that, he can ride anything. That includes dragons and divine level beasts.)**

 **Independant Action: EX**

 **(He's still alive so what did you expect? Despite it being at a rank high enough to ignore command seals, he is a loyal person who will follow his masters orders without question. If he is given an order that goes against his morale code, however, there is no telling what he will do.)**

 **Eye of the mind (True): A+++**

 **(Being one of the oldest beings on the planet and having his body trained for combat situations, he can turn any dangerous situations into a victory no matter how small the chance of winning is.)**

 **Divinity: EX**

 **(While not being a god from birth, sealing all of the tailed beasts inside of him and being a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths himself, it basically makes him one. It gives him the authority that would give the True Ancestor princess trouble. Unfortunately, it makes Enkidu EXTREMELY effective against him and Anti-God Weapons.)**

 **Charisma: A+**

 **(Gives him the ability to sway people to his cause and lead more than a single nation. It also makes it kind of hard to not respect him, even if he's your enemy.)**

 **Wisdom of The Haunted Ground: A+**

 **(The intellect of the abyss, the consequence for leaving humanity behind and killing gods. Allows naruto to copy servant skills with a proficiency of B to A+. However, he can't copy skills that are unique to a servant. Only one other person has managed to attained this ability. Sadly, both of them hadn't met... yet.)**

 **Presence detection: A+**

 **(Naruto is a sensor type ninja, possessing the ability to sense others at extraordinary range by zeroing in on emotions like anger and joy. This ability was able to sense his friends even when they were enclosed in a barrier that cut them off from the rest of the world.)**

 **Presence Concealment: EX**

 **(The ability to become one with the world. Being a shinobi and having the tailed beasts inside of him, he effectively is nature incarnate. He can easily hide his overwhelming presence when he doesn't want to be found, and can't be detected through normal means. It drops to A++ When he makes an attack, however.**

 **Innocent monster: EX**

 **(He is one even if he himself doesn't say he is. Despite being a man who could be said to have a personality that defines all the good in the world, he is still a monster beyond compare. The ten tails inside of him is what defines him as one. Despite having a level of EX, this doesn't do anything for him and is more like a crippling weakness, making weapons that are strong against monsters able to harm him if they have a high enough rank.)**

 **Noble phantasms**

 **Truth seeking orbs: A - EX (Anti-Army)**

 **(Orbs that hover behind Naruto during battle should he call upon them. They are able to transform into any shape and size in accordance to the users will. As an A ranked noble phantasm, they are powered down and don't have their original abilities, nothing more than regular black rods. If Naruto wishes for it, he can activate the true power of the orbs and raise them to EX. In this form, the orbs take a purple hue and have the ability to literally crush anything they come into contact with. Even noble phantasms that come into contact with it in this state will be crushed into nothing. Nothing in the world is able to withstand a strike from them unless one is a master of senjutsu.)**

 **Cloak of The Greatest Emperor: EX (Anti-Unit, Anti-Fortress)**

 **(A special cloak made out of chakra that surrounds Naruto. It's a special cloak that is given to him by the tailed beasts inside of him, raising his stats even higher. Along with his boosted stats, it also allows for naruto to change its form like a symbiotic piece of armor.)**

 **Sword of Nunoboko: EX (Anti-world)**

 **(A sword formed out of a truth seeking orb. It was a sword wielded by the original sage of six paths, packing enough power to destroy to world in the wrong hands. Anything struck by it will eradicated down to the soul, casting them into nothingness as the sword destroys their essence.)**

 **The Arts of Nature: D - EX (Support, Anti-unit, Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress)**

 **(This noble phantasm allows for the use of every jutsu that Naruto has learned in life. Having numerous techniques that allow him to adept for every situation, it is impossibe to list them all.)**

 **Sphere of the Heavens: A++ (Anti-Army)**

 **(Rasengan is Naruto's most well known jutsu. The highest form of shape manipulation that pulverizes targets in the shape of the sphere. When Naruto developed it into the Rasenshuriken, it became a force of nature that destroys everything at a molecular level. He can also combine it with other chakra natures to change the effects.)**

 **Chakra of the world: EX (Anti-Unit)**

 **(Allows for the use of any chakra. Nature or otherwise. Without it, none of Naruto's abilities would work. With it, he can do practically anything like flying and destroying mountains.)**

 **The Beast of Gaia: EX (Anti-country)**

 **(This noble phantasm allows for the summoning of the Juubi. A monstrous beast that could trample through godly pantheons and eat them for breakfast. It was originally Kaguya Otsutsuki, but after Naruto and Sasuke banished her to the moon, the beast has lost most of its destructive madness. Despite that, Naruto is hesitant to let a beast like that roam free. A single roar from it could cause volcanic eruptions across the world, of course.)**

 **Reanimation Ninjutsu: EX (Anti-Army.)**

 **A reanimation technique that lets the dead back into the world through the use of their DNA and Fuinjutsu. With it, Naruto can summon a dead individual as long as he has a catalyst to summon them with. However, considering that he finds bringing back the dead to be a disrespectful act, there is no way in hell he would ever use it. He only has it to prevent anyone else from getting it.**

 **The Eyes That Have Gazed Upon Heaven: EX (Anti-Army)**

 **Having become the new Sage of Six Paths, Naruto has received the Rinnegan. It allows him to manipulate repulsive and attractive forces, taming of beasts, mechanization of armor, and manipulation of bodies.**

 **Talk no Jutsu: A (Anti-unit)**

 **(It's a specialty of his. It's a noble phantasm that ties in with his charisma. There have been many times when Naruto has managed to somehow talk his enemies out of something and change their ways for the better. People like Sasuke, Nagato, and pretty much everyone he meets has been effected by it.)**

 **Seal of Binding That Restrains The Heavens: EX**

 **A fuinjutsu seal that Naruto developed on his own to contain and limit his immense power. While in use, it limits all of his stats to A++ rank. On the off chance that Naruto is backed into a corner, he can release the seal to tap into his full potential. When the situation happens, all of his parameters skyrocket and the quality of his noble phantasm so increase.**


	6. Chapter 6 (Apocrypha)

"So the little pig and the priest aren't joining us?"

Sitting in the living room of the private mansion that Waver bought, Several members of the red faction had convened for a meeting.

"No, waking Reines up at this hour is a handful." Waver said, shuddering at remembering how much the girl loved her beauty sleep. "As for kotomine and Assassin, the two of them have not arrived in the city. Only God knows what the two of them are doing."

"We are fools to even trust someone like him." Kari said sourly. "He doesn't smell right."

"True, but we shouldn't accuse him yet." Waver said with a shrug. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about today. Our subject of matter concerns the events that have transpired last night."

Everyone went silent, politely quieting down to hear the information.

"While on reconnaissance last night in the city, me and Rider came across Ruler and her servant battling off two other servants." Waver reported.

"Servants? Why would the yggdmillenia do something like this?" Kairi asked with a frown. The Yggdmillenia were absolutely dead set on winning, so why would they attack the mediator of all people?

"No, it wasn't the Yggdmillenia." Waver said, causing everyones eyes to widen. "Ruler had confirmed that the two servants who attacked her had no relations with the Grail War. One of them being a lancer and the other a Rider."

"Servants existing outside of the grail war?! How is that possible?!" Kairi asked, obviously put off at the information.

"I may have an idea." Waver said as he leaned forward in his chair. "You see, there have been times when multiple grail wars have gone off at the same time."

"At the same time?" Gray muttered quietly.

"Yes. You see, there have been several magi in the past who were trying to replicate the formula to create their own grail war. Some of them made some pretty well done imitations, but without the original creators it was impossible to recreate it perfectly. As such, there have been many fake grail wars in the past years." Waver explained.

"So are you saying that there is another grail war going on right now?" Kairi asked with a frown.

"I doubt it. With the finding of the greater grail, everyone would have already dropped everything to come and participate. Besides, we would have heard about it." Waver said with a wave of his hand. "However, I have been hearing rumors about a second reasoning behind those wars."

"Rumors?"

"Speculatory, but it makes the most sense. You see, all of the grail wars never actually had a winner. All of the grails would mysteriously vanish at the end of the war, leaving behind no true victors. However, there have been rumors around that all of the grail wars had been a ruse to gather enough energy for something big."

"Like summoning a servant." Gray muttered, realization dawning on everyones faces.

"But that's insane! The prana cost to keep a servant materialized without a grail is too high for any magi! It's not something any ordinary person could do!" Kairi said.

"I know, but it makes sense. Recently, several magi families have gone dark during the time these grail wars started. Several of them, like the Ainsworth, Einzbern, and Harway have not responded to any of our messages. Considering how several of the families have produced many powerful magi, it wouldn't surprise me if they were the ones behind this." Waver said, causing everyone to go silent in thought.

"Einzberns, Ainsworth, and Harway?"

Those were several of the most powerful families of today. And from what Waver said, there were others who were on the list of possible masterminds.

"Things have gotten even more complicated." Kairi muttered.

"Hmph! Those mongrels think that they can interfere with the war? Fools, the lot of them." Archer muttered, finally speaking his mind. Granted, he must have set a new record for himself by keeping quiet up until now.

"How many of them are there?" Mordred asked, seeing an opportunity to ask her question.

"Who knows? The two from last night are the only ones we have encountered so far. Their the reason why Ruler has called for the cease fire, after all." Waver said with a shrug before his face turned serious. "None of you better go around thinking that you can break the rules without getting caught. Considering who ruler's servant is, I highly doubt you can."

"Oh? And who is Ruler's servant? Greek maybe? Or perhaps Egyptian?" Lancer asked with interest as he materialized.

"Neither. He's a japanese hero and quite possibly the most famous one in the world." Waver said as he lit a cigarette to calm himself down. "He's Naruto Uzumaki. 7th hokage of the hidden leaf."

The servants just stared at him, not knowing who the person was while Kairi and Gray just blanched at him with open jaws.

"A divine god summoned as a servant?!" Kairi exclaimed in shock.

"Can the Grail really do something like that?" Gray questioned.

"Hold up. Did you just say that Ruler's servant was a divine god?" Saber asked with a frown.

"Tch... Not a big fan." Lancer muttered. "In my experience, the gods are total asses. They're all powerful, but they have less than pleasant personalities. The god of war especially."

"Oh come on, lancer! The guy didn't seem so bad." Rider said from the couch as he munched on popcorn and immersed himself with the movie series, 'Terminator.'

"The gods are filthy arrogant creatures that do not have a place in my garden. I will eliminate the filthy creature the next time I see him." Archer declared with a smug smirk before he turned to Gray. "Rejoice, Girl. You will see the true king of the world unleash his full might without restraint."

"...I'm sure it will be quite spectacular." Gray said quietly. Inside, however, she was wondering if letting a battle between Archer and Ruler's servant would be a good idea. The collateral damage between the two of them could possibly wipe Trifas off the map.

"Not to be rude, but I'm not even sure that you can beat him. The stats he has are off the charts. They're even better than yours." Waver said as he tossed a file onto the table that contained the stats that he managed to read off of Ruler's servant before he left.

The whole room went quiet as they began reading off of the sheet. Finally, it was Lancer who broke the silence.

"EX rank for everything except luck... This is insane!" Lancer exclaimed, but if the grin on his face was anything to go by, he was more excited than afraid. "I wouldn't mind trading blows with this servant. He would definitely give me a challenge!"

"You can't be serious!" Kairi exclaimed in exasperation. "This person could kill you without even trying! Against a monster like that, how do you even expect to beat him?!"

He really should have just left the job when he was offered it. He felt like he was better off not dealing with the nonsense of these servants.

Archer gave him a glare. "Fool! It doesn't matter how strong this so-called god is! To me, who has fought beasts and monsters that could compare to the gods, it is nothing new!" The aura around him intensified, making everyone scoot away from him a little bit as he got into the zone. "A god, no matter how strong, is still killable. It is all about exploiting their weaknesses and striking them with overwhelming force!"

"Not to offend you, my king, but this man doesn't have any exploitable weaknesses." Gray pointed out.

"You have much to learn, girl." Archer scoffed. "To defeat a god, you must set control of the conditions. You have to bring the god down to your level! With this opportunity, I will release the full power of my treasury and eliminate him! Too much divinity is a curse! Full divinity even more so! Enkidu and Ea will be his down fall!"

It was frightening, but it was true that Archer was the only one who had the slightest chance of taking down Ruler's servant. If he was fightning seriously, the chances of him winning slightly went up. After all, his treasury was his ultimate weapon. Since it contains many powerful weapons that were meant to kill demonds, humans, and gods, it is the ultimate expression of overwhelming force.

Ruler's servant has the qualities of all those factors. He was a monster, a god, and originally, a human. The most powerful of weapons from the Gate of Babylon would even cause a person like him serious harm if he were struck by one of them.

However, it didn't mean he would be able to win easily with these exploitable weaknesses. There was a reason why Naruto Uzumaki was the most famous hero in all of Japan.

Waver considered asking Gray to use a command spell, but that would sully their relationship with the golden archer. If that happened, they had no idea if they would be able to stop him from turning on them. He could only hope that the two servants didn't meet for a while.

"Do as you please." Waver said with a tired sigh, earning a smirk from the hero. "Do care not to destroy everything while you fight."

"I make no promises. Besides, this world is my garden. I can choose to do whatever I want with it." Archer said arrogantly with a smirk.

"The world will be reminded just who the king of heroes is."

* * *

"It seems that he's in quite the mood." Assassin said with an amused smile as she watched the meeting between their 'allies'. "I don't think anything will be able to stop him once he sees the anomaly once again."

"It'll truly be a battle to behold." Shirou said with a smile of his own.

"Who do you think would win such a bout?"

"Win? It's hard to say. If Archer didn't know that his opponent was a god, it would certainly end in his defeat."

"True." Assassin agreed with a giggle. "His ego is quite large. Although I guess the first king of the world wouldn't have anything short of that."

"Since he's fighting seriously, however, I do not know who will win." Shirou said with a shrug. "It is unclear for me. I am simply a man of god. Shouldn't a queen like yourself be able to come to your own conclusion?"

"Oh, I did. I just wanted to see your own." Assassin said as she regally sat opposite of him. "You're right of course, I don't see a foreseeable conclusion to their battle. However, it will certainly leave the victor quite weakened."

Shirou smiled. "Yes, of course. The king of heroes will serve his purpose. I will send our new asset to observe their battle and make her move once it finishes. I will also send Karna and the huntress to support her should things go south. Our residential pirate is too busy repairing his ship to be sent out at this time."

"Yes, her compatibility is quite effective against beings with high mystery and divinity. Being an old god who is the most famous in the world, it will be his most glaring weakness." Assassin said in agreement before she smirked. "Funny. To think one of our most powerful weapons against him is someone from his own land."

"Yes, although its a given considering her nature." Shirou said with a shrug. "She has also been quite excited about fighting him. She said that she has always wanted to meet Japan's most famous hero in person."

"On a side note, what is the situation with our benefactors? Have they promised us the grail once we bring it to them?" Assassin asked with a frown, obviously distrustful about their benefactors.

"I can understand your concern." Shirou said calmly. "Our benefactors have promised us the grail should we win. They don't really want it for the wish. It's more for personal revenge than anything else."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I'm talking about the third holy grail war." Shirou said as he recalled few memories. "As you know, I was the Ruler class servant that was tasked to the grail war by the Einzberns. Surviving untill the end, I soon found myself face to face with Darnic."

"Leader of the black faction?"

"The one and only. His servant, the legendary Heracles, fought me to the death while he made off with the Holy Grail under the support of the Nazi Army under the orders of their Fuher."

"I see..." Semiramis muttered, having this as the first time to here this much about her master's past. "So Darnic kept himself alive ever since World War 2... It seems like the bad blood hasn't died between him and the organization."

"He doesn't know that they still exist." Shirou corrected. "As far as he knows, all of them have perished after he managed to steal the grail to Trifas."

"It is amazing that they have managed to keep themselves hidden for so long. An organization like them should have been known throughout the magus world." Assassin said with a thoughtful look.

"Oh... They had a little bit of help." Shirou said with a smile as he stood up. "Now, let us go. We have preparations to make for later."

* * *

"Hm... A god within my country." Lancer of black said to himself with a frown upon his face. "And you say that he has been summoned as Ruler's servant?"

"It would seem so, my lord." Darnic said as he read through the files. "Ruler's servant is the man known as Naruto Uzumaki. He's the most famous hero in Japan and a person who transcended into a god before his disappearance."

"Quite troublesome." Lancer noted as he put on a thoughtful expression. "Even in my home territory, it will certainly be hard for me to hold him off should he decided to attack us."

"But grandfather," Fiore began, having decided to attend the small meeting between them. "Surely he wouldn't do something like that. After all, he is supposed to be a neutral party, correct?"

"You are right, but gods are fickle creatures." Darnic said with a sigh. "He may have been percieved as a hero who embodies all that is good in the world, but there isn't anything to say he retained that when he became a god. He can do whatever he wants without a care in the world. I'm not sure Ruler herself would be able to keep him on a leash if he were to get bored and find amusement."

"That being said, we need to take preparations should the worse come to worse." Lancer said before he turned to Archer, who had remained quiet by the wall. "Archer, what do you think of the situation."

"The situation? It's gone from bad to worse." Archer said with a shrug. "Honestly, the only gods I have dealt with are the Indian ones. If the ones from Japan are anything like them then we're going to have to use everything in our arsenal just to hold a short fight against him."

The gods of India were absolutely no joke. Each of them had weapons that could destroy the earth should they release them at full power. It was only due to the fact that the gods decreed that these weapons couldn't be used on mortals or lesser beings that India wasn't screwed over a million times over.

"I will have to ask Helena to increase production of her robots and golems." Darnic said. "They may not have been meant for battle, but she can easily modify them to suit our needs."

"Archer... how about the use of your noble phantasm?" Fiore suggested. "Are you able to use it?"

Archer paused. "Master, the use of my noble phantasm shouldn't be activated unless it's a last resort. The extreme destructive power that it holds can destroy anything."

"But your opponent could potentially be a god!" Fiore argued.

"Pashupatastra is the most powerful weapon of the Hindu gods." Archer said with a serious look. "It's capable of destroying all creation and vanquishing any being. Even gods. Only one weapon of the gods is able to counter it, making it nearly unparalleled without equal. Even if I set it to the minimal range, I could vaporize the entire forest if I used it. Still, there is no guarantee that it would be able to kill him."

"As to be expected from one of India's greatest heroes." Darnic said in approval, apreciating that his successor was able to summon such a powerful hero. "If you do not want to utilize your noble phantasm, we won't force you. However, we wish you to consider using it if push comes to shove."

"I am thankful for your generous decree." Archer said with a polite bow before he gave a small smile towards his master. "Worry not, master. Primordial gods have been defeated before. It's a small chance, but it can be possible."

Fiore smiled, thankful that her servant was doing his best to assure her. "Yes... You have a point, Archer."

"Lancer, sir?"

Helena Blavatsky suddenly appeared in the room with several notes and small robots that hovered around her. "Did you call me?"

"Yes, thank you for coming, caster." Lancer said with a nod. "Me and my master apologize for taking you away from your work, but we wish to hear an update about you and Roche's work."

"Of course. Production of our golems and homunculus have gone smoother than what I had predicted thanks to Lord Darnic's connections. I estimate that our forces should be around 5000 in the next three days if everything goes well." Caster said while the robots nodded in agreement with what she said.

"Thank you. I can trust that Roche is contributing as well?" Darnic asked, causing Caster to giggle.

"He's been a great help for me. He might be a little bit young, but he has been trained well in the creation of golems. He could use a little bit of help with his design, however, nothing a few minor tweaks would fix." Caster said with a smile. Her master, like her, was a workaholic. He rarely left his workshop like her and spent every single hour of the day working on his golems. He even gets food brought to him by his golems so he wouldn't have to stop with his work.

It was no wonder why her master was unusually frail for a boy his age. Doing nothing but create golems is not a healthy habit for a kid like him. She had been told by him that he had never been risen in the care of his parents, only from the golems that they had created.

She had initially been furious at such actions, but her master had explained that it was custom for all offspring of his clan to be raised by golems. It was a living that was to make each of them professionals with the creation of them, after all.

He had told her that it made him into a world class golem creator, but she still didn't agree with it. Each of her master's creations were not as good as hers and couldn't be created on the same scale that she make them. If her master was considered to be world classed, standards must have dropped considerably during her time.

Since she was far more superior in creation than him, he had begged her to teach him in ways to improve his craft. She didn't mind. She had never had a student before, and it was a welcoming change.

"I see... That is good news. Roche never gets out much so I'm glad that he's still contributing to our cause." Darnic said with a nod. He didn't personally mind Roche, but it annoyed him with how long the boy stays cooped up.

"Indeed. The boy is quite cut off from society." Lancer said in agreement. "You may be dissmissed, Caster. Apologies for disrupting your schedule."

"It is fine. I was going to go get some fresh air, anyway." Caster said before she disappeared into spirit form and left the room.

Seconds later, Kiritsugu Emiya entered the room with a perplexed expression on his face, contrast to the usual stoic expression.

"What is the problem, Mr. Emiya?" Fiore asked hesitantly, but politely. She had heard many rumors about the Magus Killer from her grandfather. From many reports, the man was someone who made her nervous just by staying in the same castle. She didn't know why her grandfather would hire someone like him, but she could see the strategic advantage he held.

He was a magus whom most would call a disgrace. Unlike others, Kiritsugu Emiya was not someone who used magic to attack others. Instead, he resorted to more primitive tools like guns, explosives, rocket launchers, Etc. Most of the Magi only have defenses that counter anything related to magecraft, making bullets and c4 abnormal tools that were useful in killing magi.

And now, the very same magus turned his eyes on her. "...I'm looking for my phone. It seems to have gone missing."

It was a simple declaration, but it made everyone glance at each other in slight befuddlement.

"Er... I don't think anyone has seen it. Why don't you ask one of the Homunculi?" Fiore suggested.

Kiritsugu said nothing, but simply nodded his head. Before he could turn to leave the room, however, a three legged table ran into the room. It was one of the appliances that Caster modified to serve as maids and efficient servants.

The table scooted over to Kiritsugu and shuddered as its front drawer popped open with an audible click, revealing a small black phone.

"Ah... Here it is." Kiritsugu said simply without a change in emotion as he picked up the phone.

If anyone in the room didn't know any better, they would have assumed that this man was a robot.

What they didn't notice, however, was a shape slipping away through an open door as they continued to stare at the Magus Killer.

* * *

"Hm..." Naruto muttered to himself as the thought over the information he had been given.

He had sent shadow clones into both camps, scouting out both of them and seeing what they were up to. He found it a little bit challenging to sneak through all of the magical wards, but luckily his ingraned sneaking skills haven't left him.

It seems that the goldie from yesterday was aiming for his head and the black faction distrusted him enough to come up with their own plans if worse comes to worse.

He didn't mind. It was natural to be distrustful of him. After all, what sane person wouldn't be?

And it didn't matter anyway. The only servants who possibly stood a chance of harming him was the rogue lancer, Archer of Black, and Archer of Red.

In truth, he was quite excited for this new change. He hadn't had a good smackdown in over 5 centuries. Incorporating himself into civillian life wasn't hard, but he was a warrior and thrill seeker at heart. He was looking for something exciting to happen to him.

Still, he wasn't going to actively look for trouble. He was supposed to be a neutral party, after all. Jeanne would be mad with him if he caused unnecessary fighting.

He looked over to the side and saw his master humming to herself as she cleaned the dishes in the church kitchen. Despite being her servant, she had adamantly told him to take a break while she cleaned the dishes.

She reminded him a little bit like Hinata in a sense.

He blinked at the comparison and frowned for a moment before shaking his head. "Hey, Jeanne-chan, are you sure you don't need any help?"

"I'm fine, Naruto. It has been quite some time since I've been able to do something like this so it is quite pleasant, actually." Jeanne said with a smile as she scrubbed down another plate. "Besides, I'm going to need your help for later."

"Hoh? With what?"

"I need you to escort me to the Black Camp and help me inspect the Holy Grail."

"Hm? Why would you need to do that?" Naruto asked with a curious expression. Now that she mentioned it, he hadn't checked out the resting place of the grail. He had attempted to, but the fact that there were so many homunculi and golems surrounding it made it hard for him to even enter the room. They literally filled up every inch of square space inside and out.

"Inspect the Grail? What for?"

"Well, with all of the unknown servants that have we have encountered, I believe that it is something that must be investigated post haste. Examining the Grail for anything strange would be a good start." Jeanne explained.

"Yes, I agree." Naruto said with a nod of approval before his look turned serious. "However, I must disagree with letting you come with me. Your body still needs rest."

"What?! But I'm fine!" Jeanne argued with a frown. Naruto just sighed and gave the girl a pat on the head.

"No, you are not. It has only been a day. Just wait a couple more hours and you can do whatever you want. Right now, I just want you to take it easy. You won't be any good if Laeticia's body fails in battle." Naruto scolded as his fatherly side took over.

Jeanne just pouted. "Naruto... You make it seem like you're supposed to be the master."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, I am older than you. Besides, I am your servant. I'm supposed to make it easier for you to do your job." Taking a step back he offered her a light grin. "Like I said, take it easy. I'll be back in a few hours." And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Mou... He's so overprotective." Jeanne muttered to herself as she looked at the unfinished dishes.

"Well... a little break isn't too bad."

* * *

 **Hey guys, sorry that this chapter took a little bit too long. I'm currently in the Philippines and rarely have access to wifi.**

 **On a side note: I'm going to actually reply to some of your reviews since I never got the chance to in the last chapter.**

 **00Altair: Hey man, I understand your view and I'm not offended by it. People can choose to like whatever story they want. That said, please continue to update your story! I love how the plot of it turns out!**

 **He Who Seeks The Joys In Life: I'll try to do that more from now on. If I don't do enough of it, please feel free to point it out.**

 **InTheYearOfTheCat: Of course there will be romance. What kind of Naruto story would it be without it? The pairings are going to be a secret, however. ;)**

 **And that's all. I currently have a tight schedule so this is all the reviews I can respond to on such a short notice. Rest assured I will reply to the rest of them in the next chapter.**

 **Till next time, PEACE!**


	7. Chapter 7 (Apocrypha)

Naruto ran through the top of the trees silently, but swiftly, as he made his way towards the Yggdmillenia castle. He had to give it to the magi who fortified this place, it was certainly quite a challenge for him to sneak pass all of the magical traps and detection barriers that littered every inch of the estate.

Normally, he would have just decided to tear through the barrier like a boss, but he didn't want to raise alarms and give the Red Faction an advantage by tearing down the camp's defenses.

Plus, he wasn't willing to get berated by his master for getting himself involved personally when he didn't need to.

It was still hard, though. Casting his senses outwards, he can detect several battalions of homunculi and familiars stationed around the area. That also wasn't counting for the most dangerous threat he had detected.

Above him, in the tallest tower of the castle, there was the signature aura of a servant camping out up there. Most presumably, the Archer of Black.

He had caught wind of his real name when he last infiltrated the castle. Arjuna, one of the most famous heroes of India and supposedly the only one who was Karna's equal. His skill with the bow was equal to Karna, and the holy Gandiva bow he wielded was a holy weapon of Indra that shot lightning as arrows.

He winced. The indian god Indra and the Sage of Six Path's Indra confused him a little bit. It didn't help that Indra's descendant, Sasuke, was also known for his powerful lightning jutsu.

It almost made him wonder how they both shared the same name, but he just dismissed it as a coincidence. After all, myths and history tended to coincide with each other at some point.

He could sense that the Archer of Black would continuously sweep his gaze over the courtyard every 35 seconds. Not enough time for an ordinary man to sneak around quietly without getting caught, but he was no ordinary man.

He dropped to the ground and took shelter inside the various shrub that was growing underneath the trees. He was about to rush towards one of the open windows, before he suddenly stopped as several huge golems passed near his position.

Golems were simply autonomous robots. Since they are not alive and don't contain any feelings or chakra, it made it impossible for him to sense them with his abilities.

It was a slight problem, but nothing he couldn't handle. Golems were usually dumb and slow, making it easy for him to hear them approach.

He waited for a couple moments for the golem to pass and Archer to turn his gaze away, before he rushed towards the castle and climbed up to an open window. Entering silently and closing the door behind him, he finally took a good look at where he was at.

It was a decorated room that he recognized as a magi's workshop. Parts of magical machinery was strown around the room in a messy manner, failed projects that were being scrapped and recycled for other uses.

There were also many books that talked about medicine and human anatomy. Most of the pages were opened to pages talking about paralysis and pictures about legs.

From what intel he gathered, this was the room of Fiore Yggdmillenia. The older sister of the young man he met earler. She was supposedly a prodigy, but she was parralyzed from the waist down and was confined to a wheelchair due to her magic circuits.

He didn't understand why she undergo magical procedures to fix her legs, but his guess was that she didn't want to loose her magic circuits. She was supposed to be the next head, after all. Not having circuits would be quite the problem.

Henging himself into one of the homunculus that he had seen patroling the grounds, he stepped out into the hallway and was greeted with silence as he found himself as the only one on the floor.

"This makes things easier." Naruto muttered as he headed towards the stairs leading downwards.

"Let's see... If I were to hide something as big as a wish granting machine, I would hide it safely away from the battle, but easy to access on the off chance that things go wrong."

Knowing magi, the best bet he had to find the Grail was to descend to the basement. Magi were known to horde important stuff there like mad scientists. Which they were in a sense.

It also made it easier for the Grail to absorb energy from the laylines at a much faster pace, powering it up greatly.

As he descended, the amount of Homunculi and Golems increased. The golems were usually led around by a group of combat Homunculus along with a single healer that carried medical equipment with them.

It was a natural army that was organized by a strategic leader. Whoever organized them was certainly a natural. A few of them by themselves wouldn't be enough to impede a servant, but an army of this size could potentially kill a weak servant with numbers if they got lucky.

Everytime he passed one of them, they would always give a polite salute, showing off their military discipline.

He'd give them a polite salute of his own before he continued downwards. Reaching the basement, he suddenly froze as he felt the mana in the air being drawn towards something of great power. Knowing what it was, he began following the mana path untill he came across a decorated door.

Looking around to make sure that no one was around, he slowly opened the door and quietly slipped inside, shutting it behind him with no noise.

No guards or magical protection was inside the room. It was obvious that the masters of black obviously didn't think anyone would be able to sneak in here without being seen. The only object that was inside the empty room was the large cup looking object in the middle of the room.

"The Holy Grail..."

It was a huge object that took up almost the entire room, but it was beautiful. It pulsed with white light as the mana in the air reacted to its presence.

It was everything one would expect the real Holy Grail would look like. It was a simple golden chalice that looked exactly like the Grail Jesus held in the painting of the Last Supper.

Still, as authentic as it looks, he found it dubious that this thing could perform a miracle with such a ritual. Miracles were something that could be granted in ways that were outside human imagination. Since this Grail was man-made, how was it supposed to grant miracles?

He get that it used a complicated formula to use the dead servant bodies as energy to power it up and- yada, yada, yada, but the fact remains that no one knows how it even performs a miracle with all that energy.

With Fuinjutsu, it may become possible to come up with a formula that can perform such a task, but he had never heard of such things being created by the Uzumaki clan. If that was the case, Madara wouldn't have had to go revive the ten tails and could create a formula that could perform miracles. It's simply unheard of, and if it didn't happen in his time, then no one would be able to do it.

But still... he wasn't going to judge it just yet. Whether or not it can grant any wish remains to be seen.

He walked circles around it, observing every detail and trying to find anything related to the other rogue servants that have been popping up. Not finding anything of note, he hesitantly walked up and pressed his hand against it.

Big mistake.

What flooded his mind was nearly enough to make him pass out. If he had to explain it, it would be compared to the thoughts that Kurama would give him when he was younger.

Except this was much, MUCH, worse.

Before he had befriended the Kyuubi, the beast wasn't adament about telling him about how much he hated humanity. Its rage was beyond anything he had ever felt before. But the feedback he had just recieved was evil incarnate.

 **"KiLL, RaPE, MuRDer, DeSTroY, UNLeAsH ALl ThE WoRLD'S eViL ANd BrING CAlaMity UPOn ThE WOrld..."**

Countless other words of evil and hate flashed through his mind, and it was enough to make him break into a cold sweat as he retracted his arm quickly and shook his head.

Taking a second to recover his breath, he placed his hands into his pocket and sighed.

"What was that?" Naruto thought to himself as he stared at the grail in front of him with horror. "This thing..."

It was evil. Or at least, whatever inside of it was evil. It may have looked like a holy instrument, but whatever it was inside of it begged to differ.

He could only guess that it was a curse unlike anything he had ever seen before. He had endured Kurama's wrath, the anger of Kaguya, and the hate of the villagers, but this amount of evil was the only thing that could get such a reaction from him.

He clenched his fists. He should destroy this abomination. Yes. Such a thing shouldn't have been allowed to exist. He knew that a wish granting machine was just too dubious to be real.

He knew that this device was tainted by something. What it is, he wasn't sure, but it could be something that could activate the Counter Force. Whoever makes a wish on it will ultimately have it corrupted. What happens next is anyone's guess.

He formed a rasengan in his hand for a moment before he stopped. Smashing it wouldn't be a good idea. Despite not being at full power, it still had enough magical energy to destroy the entire castle and everyone in it instantly. He would survive, but he wasn't willing to let such a fate happen to everyone above.

He sighed, and deactivated the rasengan. Suddenly, he felt prana build up behind him. Spinning around, he came face to face with the Caster of Black. She had a serious expression, and several books floated behind her. Their pages were open, fluttering dangerously as they zeroed in on him.

"Who are you? Answer me!" Caster ordered with a stern voice.

"...I'm just a homunculus, madame." Naruto lied without a change in tone. However, it seemed to have infuriated the girl as she stamped her foot on the ground in an angry, but cute manner.

"Lies! No homunculus of mine would ever call me that!" Caster yelled in fury. She hated being called Madame. She wasn't exactly good wife material since she herself had ran away from her own husband.

It was widely known throughout the ranks of the homunculi that none of them were allowed to call her Madame. It was a word of taboo. Even the rest of the servants take great care not to say it to her face.

Naruto tensed. Why did he have to be so bad with women? He had thought he understood them all after being married to Hinata, but it seems he still had a lot more to learn.

Seeing no need to keep up the farce, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and allowed his henge to dissipate.

"Please don't act hasty." Naruto said slowly. "I'm not here to cause trouble... Caster of Black."

Caster blinked for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "I'll ask again, who are you?"

"I am Ruler's servant. I am only here to see the Holy Grail for myself. Rest assured, I had no intention of causing trouble." Naruto said calmly.

"Ruler's servant?" Caster muttered in surprise as the books slowly began to close. "I see... So why are you here?"

"Nothing much. It's just like I said, I wanted to see the Grail for myself." Naruto said with a shrug. "Since I didn't want to cause any distractions, I just opted to sneak in undetected."

"Hmph. Why didn't Ruler inform us of this herself?" Caster asked with a skeptical look.

"My master is too tired right now to properly do her work, so I have gone in her stead." Naruto explained. "Besides, it's not like me to send a note telling when I'll arrive. A ninja like me wouldn't do something like that."

Caster tensed. Yes... The person in front of her was a god and a former ninja. It unnerved her how he had managed to slip in undetected without alerting any of the guards or magic traps of his presence.

"I see... Still, you should have at least sent a note. I was preparing to just blast you on the spot, you know?" Caster chided with a sigh as the books swirled around her.

"Apologies." Naruto said with a sheepish smile before he frowned. "You don't have to take me to your leader, do you?"

Caster shrugged in an apolagetic manner. "Sorry, but I have to. I have already alerted my master of your presence. There is no doubt that he informed Darnic and Lancer already. I don't have any right to force you, however, it's all up to you if you want to go or not."

Naruto sighed. Wonderful. He was going to be brought before their leader and enter the diplomatic discussions with them. He hated those things. Not only because they took so long, but because the ones who did it were so boring to talk to.

Before he could reply, however, another voice interrupted him.

"Caster?"

Shifting his eyes to the sound of the voice, they suddenly widened as he found the source.

It was a young girl. Younger than caster, even. She was slightly pale and looked malnourished. Even her messy hair was the color white.

What shocked him the most was the fact that the girl wasn't wearing anything other than a small bra and thong. Other than that, the only possession that she had on her were the strange knives she had on her back.

"She's so young..." Naruto thought as he looked at her. "What happened to her?"

Using his empathy ability, he could detect a lot of hidden emotions the girl had. Grief, sorrow, pain, even loneliness that was similar to his. It reminded him of himself when he was still young and ignorant to the beast inside him.

"Assassin?" Caster said in surprise before she smiled softly. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your master?"

"Mother is busy with stuff." Assassin said with a pout before she smiled. "So I decided to go to you for fun! Also, who is he?"

Naruto blinked as she turned her attention towards him. Assassin acted too much like a kid to be a heroic spirit, but he could smell blood on her hands. They weren't fresh, but it was unnerving.

"Ah... He's Ruler's servant." Caster said simply. Before any of them could blink, however, Assassin had drawn her knives and lunged towards Naruto.

"Ruler's servant... That means he's an enemy!" Assassin declared.

"W-wait!" Caster yelled in desperation. Assassin hadn't received any information about Ruler's servant. She didn't know that the person infront of her was a god and was practically doing a suicide move.

This was it for assassin. There was no way that Ruler's servant wouldn't retaliate against her and destroy her utterly.

Naruto, however, was used to dealing with ninja kids. This kid wasn't anything new to him. In a fluent motion, he had knocked the knives out of her hand and grabbed her by the leg, making her squeal as she soon found herself hanging upside down.

"That was a sneaky move, Assassin." Naruto said with an amused smile. "It won't work on me, though."

"Give us back our knives!" Assassin yelled like a spoiled child as she thrashed around in his grip.

"Later." Naruto said as he took out a sealing scroll and sucked up all of the sharp objects he found on the girl's body. "A child like you needs to be punished so you won't do it again."

"Um..." Caster spok up, getting Naruto's attention. "You're not going to kill her?"

Naruto blinked. "What do you take me for? I'm not a child murderer. Besides, I can't find it in myself to destroy an adorable girl like her." He said with a smile as he poked Assassin's cheek, making her squirm more.

"L-let us go! We're getting dizzy! We don''t like being upside down!" Assassin cried out, literally panicking in his arms.

"Alright, but do you promise not to try and kill me? Being stabbed really hurts, you know?"

"Yes! We're sorry! Please just let us go!"

Chuckling, Naruto slowly lowered Assassin to floor and set her down gently. The Loli assassin breathed a sigh of relief before she turned her eyes on him, looking close to tears.

"You're mean... We just wanted to have fun."

"Killing isn't supposed to be fun." Naruto said with a sigh before he realized that Assassin's eyes looked like they were only seconds away from tears. "W-wait, are you serious? You're actually going to cry?"

"She's sensitive." Caster said with a hand over her mouth to stifle her smile. "Assassin doesn't have a good sense of right and wrong. She's just a child, after all."

Naruto wanted to comment that it was pretty obvious that you shouldn't stab people with pointy objects, but he kept his mouth shut and concentrated on placating the girl in front of him.

"Hey... Don't cry, okay?" Naruto said as he crouched down to eye level. "If you stop crying, I'll get you some ice cream, alright?"

At the mention of the frozen treat, the girl immediately perked up. "Really? You promise?"

Naruto sighed. "I promise. Don't cry, alright?"

"Yay! You better keep your promise!" Assassin said with a smile as all traces of sadness vanished from her eyes.

"I will. Don't worry about it." Naruto reassured her with a smirk. The girl reminded her way too much of Hanabi. He was sure Jeanne would absolutely adore this girl if she were here now.

"What is she doing right now, anyway?" Naruto thought to himself.

* * *

"This city is quite old fashioned..." Jeanne thought to herself as she strolled around the city of Trifas in her casual clothing. Following Naruto's advice, she had just decided to go and relax while familiarizing herself with the city.

The buildings and stone streets brought many nastolgic memories of France, good and bad. Unlike her homeland, though, it was much more calmer and less dirty. Although, it's probably because France had its own problems to deal with.

People strolled past her on their daily duties, making last minute shopping and dinner before the day will soon be over.

As of now, she had currently explored most of Trifas and was now trying to find herself some food to eat. Her hunger urge wouldn't go away unless she ate something filling.

Suddenly, she froze as she felt a familiar presence somewhere near her. Tensing up, she began studying her surroundings.

"A Rogue servant?" She thought with worry. The street she was on still had innocent bystanders. If the servant decided to attack her without any concern for secrecy, innocent lives would be at risk.

She casted her presence outwards and found that the Red servants and Black servants were nowhere near her and were at their respective camps. However, she was able to detect that the rogue servant was now...

"Hello there, Ruler."

...Behind her.

Spinning around, she came face to face with a teen girl with green hair and an amused smile. She wore a green shirt and camo green shorts. Sitting on top of her head was a green baseball cap.

"Hmph... You're quite jumpy." The girl said, her smile not changing a bit.

"Then forgive me if I believe that you are here to attack me, Archer, or should I say, Atalanta." Jeanne said with a sarcastic tone. At the mention of her name, the girl's smile widened.

"Yes... you really are Ruler. Just my luck that I would run into you." The chaste huntress said as she sized her up with an approving glance.

"Why are you here, Rogue Archer?" Jeanne questioned with a frown. "Do you plan to start a fight here? With all of these bystanders?"

Archer shrugged. "No, It was simply bad luck that we were to cross paths here. I was simply relaxing a bit since I got some free time." She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Relax, I do not have plans to deal with you now. Especially with all of these bystanders. Of course, if my master tells me to, I'll have to do it."

Jeanne relaxed a little bit, but still remained tense. "I see... At least you're a much more reasonable person than the last few."

"Don't get too cozy, Ruler. When the time comes, we will be enemies. It doesn't change the fact that my master has seemingly ordered for you dead." Archer said as she walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

"Hm... I see." Jeanne muttered in dissapointment. "Then may I ask a question?"

"Sure, go ahead and shoot."

"What does your master want? What does he get out of killing me?" Jeanne asked.

"Hm... Simply put, my master wants the grail. For what purpose, I can't tell you, But he feels like your existance is a threat that he must eliminate for the sake of his plans." Archer replied.

"Oh? Is his wish that noble for someone like you would fight for it?"

"Yes. His wish coincides with mine, but if you were to hear it, you would find it childish." Archer admitted.

"I see. However, your master is a direct violation of this grail war. As Ruler, I will have to make him stand trail for his crimes."

"Do you believe that you can do something like that? My master has been planning for this war for years. You can't hope to stop him by yourself." Archer said with a curious tilt of her head.

"But I'm not alone. Surely you have heard about my partner?" Jeanne asked with a smug smile, making the huntress frown.

"A god... yes, we have heard of him. Even now, my master is preparing ways to deal with him. A god can still be defeated, you know. It has been done before."

"My partner will not fall from your master's scheming. He can easily take care of all the servants in this war by himself should he wish." Jeanne declared.

Archer opened her mouth to reply before she stopped for a moment and gave a small smile. "Hm... It seems that we're the only ones here."

"Huh?" Spinning around in a circle, Jeanne noticed that no one else besides them were on the street anymore. Everyone had just vanished.

"Guess I can go for the kill now. If I eliminate you, that will be one problem down." Archer said as she stood up from the bench.

"Tch. I should have known." Jeanne muttered as she summoned her armor. "It seems I have been tricked."

"Prepare yourself, Ruler. Let's see if you can live up to your legend!" Archer grinned as she materialized her servant wear and a smassive western stile bow.

Jeanne said nothing and simply drew her sword. She didn't have Naruto by her side to assist her. Right now, she was on her own.


	8. Chapter 8 (Apocrypha)

In the middle of a vacant street, two figures dashed around in an impressive display of speed and finesse.

"Hah!"

Raising her banner, Jeanne swatted away several arrows out of the air before she lunged forward with a thrust, missing the feline Archer as she backpedaled out of range.

As of now, the two of them had currently entered into a game of cat and mouse. While Jeanne had the advantage over the terms of weaponry, Archer was just too fast for her to get a decent hit in other than a grazing blow.

The huntress' speed also made it easier for her to set up for a killing shot, giving her the appropriate distance needed for an accurate shot.

The bow was also a very troublesome weapon. Despite not pulling the string very far, all of the arrows she had shot could be compared to the speed of bullets, casually surpassing the speed of sound.

Only her high rank in her Revelation skill allowed her to predict the path of the arrows and strike them down. Were it not for that, she would have been dead fifteen times by this point.

"I must admit, I did not expect a simple standard-bearer to repel all of my attacks so easily. It must be a skill of yours that is allowing it to be so." Archer commented as she shot another three arrows in quick succession, which Jeanne just once again deflected.

"I am more than a simple standard-bearer." Jeanne replied as she drew her sword with her free hand and slashed at archer, forcing her back. Seeing an opening, she shifted her grip towards the bottom of her flag and utilized the maximum reach of her weapon.

Archer hit the ground and rolled to the side, reacting quickly enough to receive only a small cut on her cheek.

"Tch. Troublesome weapon." Archer muttered as she wiped her cut with her hand. "Even your symbol of leadership and faith is a powerful weapon. I can see why my master wishes to get rid of you."

"My faith is not intended as a weapon meant to be used to harm others." Jeanne corrected as she slung it on her shoulder. "Rather, it is a weapon meant to defend those from who would wish them harm."

"Hmph... Your faith in your God is astounding. A shame that your knowledge of having only one true God is a sham." Archer said with a sigh.

"True, there may have been different gods that existed at one point in time, but I still firmly believe that my Lord is still the only true one for me." Jeanne declared with resolve. Archer's presence may have been a true sign that other gods have walked the earth, but she firmly believed that her own God was better than all of them. Some may call her bias, but she would simply say that she believed it to be so.

"I won't lie, but I find your resolve towards your God to be far greater than mine." Archer said with a small smile. "At least your God is fair. Greece didn't exactly have the best patrons."

"I won't deny that." Jeanne said with a chuckle.

"However... That doesn't mean I'm going to stop fighting." Archer said as she notched three arrows at once and fired. Having not dropped her guard, Jeanne quickly reacted and slicked the arrows out of the air. She suddenly tensed when she heard the air being disturbed behind her.

"Watch your blind spot."

"Fast!" Jeanne thought as she spun around and hastily raised her banner and knocking another two arrows out of the air.

A third arrow, however, managed to slip through her defenses due to her delayed reaction, embedding itself in her shoulder.

"Guh..." She gasped in pain as her vision swam from pain. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the shaft of the arrow and tore it out. She may have the fighting capabilities of a servant, but she was still possessing Laeticia's body to exist. Real blood gushed forth from the wound and made small patches on the ground.

"A crippling shot, but it will be enough." Archer said as she prepared to notch another arrow.

"Curses..." Jeanne muttered as she raised her banner. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, but she managed to keep her banner from dropping out of her hand.

"Naruto, I could use your help right about now." The saint thought wearily as she fought to keep herself together.

She had faith that he would come back soon. She had considered using a command spell, but didn't want to use it unless the chances of her winning dropped close to zero. Plus, even if she wasn't against asking for help, a small amount of pride in her didn't want to show signs of defeat too early.

Even with a shoulder wound, she can still fight. What sort of Heroic Spirit would she be if she was instantly dropped by something like that?

* * *

"Aren't you being a little bit clingy?"

Following Caster of Black around the maze of hallways, Naruto soon found himself holding hands with the little assassin like he was her parent or something.

"This is so you keep your promise about our ice cream!" Assassin said with a grin of childish pride.

"Seriously?" Naruto sighed in exasperation, but there was a small smile on his face. "Isn't my word enough for you?"

Assassin's face suddenly turned sour. "Words. We don't trust them. People always used to trick us with words, mean words especially."

Naruto blinked at the sudden change before catching Caster's glance, who simply shrugged and remained silent.

This girl obviously had a rough childhood. Her scars, lack of right or wrong, and simple distrust of words said it all. She reminded him of how Gaara was like before they became friends, completely empty and only living for herself.

Since she was a child, however, she still had time to change before this grail war was over. He could certainly help her a little bit, feeling all the senses of nostalgia from her.

"You know... a gloomy attitude isn't going to help you much." Naruto said with a sly grin. "Luckily, I know just the thing to help you out."

Assassin just stared at him with a look of confusion before she yelped in surprise as Naruto lifted her off the ground and comfortably set her on his shoulders.

"Piggyback ride!" Naruto declared cheerfully.

"A-ah!" Assassin cried out, grabbing onto Naruto's head tightly. "You're going to drop me!"

"No, I'm not." Naruto assured her as he stood up straight without a problem. "See? You're fine. I'm not going to drop you. Now you can see what it's like being tall!"

Slowly, the girl's grip on his head loosened up a little bit once she realize that she wasn't going to fall off. Her previous fear was replaced with excitement as she giggled and looked down at everything from her perch.

"Wow... So this is how tall people feel." Assassin muttered with childlike awe. "Even big sister Caster is tiny!"

Caster giggled in amusement. "I'm not very tall to begin with, Assassin." She gave Naruto a small smile. "It's strange. I never expected a man like you to be good with children."

"Oh... I was a father once. Both of my children were quite quirky, so this is nothing new to me." Naruto said with a chuckle.

"I see. We're heading to meet Lancer and Lord Darnic, though. Wouldn't it be odd if you were to stroll into the room with her perched up on your head like that?" Caster asked as she eyed Assassin who looked like she wouldn't be getting down anytime soon.

"It's fine. I'm sure he wouldn't have the heart to tell off such an adorable kid." Naruto said as he felt Assassin rest her chin on his head.

"Suit yourself." Caster said with a shrug as they continued down the hallway and came to a stop in front of a large double door. "Just to warn you, Lancer has a very violent temper. He's already mad that a 'Pagan god' is wandering around his castle without his permission."

Naruto looked unfazed. "Well, as a servant of Ruler, I don't really need his permission."

Caster frowned for a moment before sighing. "Just try not to piss him off too much. If he starts a hissy fit, the entire castle probably won't survive."

"I'll try, but no promises." Naruto said with a smile as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Bye bye, Caster!" Assassin said goodbye with a small cute wave, prompting Caster to smile and do the same.

"Yes, yes. Goodbye."

As the door closed behind them, Caster sighed and began to make her way back towards he workshop. Her young master was probably waiting for her to return so that she could teach him more on how she made golems.

She wasn't an exceptional professional in the creation of golems like Solomon ibn Gabirol, but she was still able to create them at a pace far faster than any magus of today. She was exceptional in all uses of magecraft, new and old so it wasn't a big surprise.

Yes, there was a reason why she was branded with a sealing designation. She was simply too abnormally talented in all fieldes of magecraft that it was frightening. It didn't help that she had claimed that she could hear the voices of Akasha, further upping the fear magi had on her.

But she didn't mind. As a founder of the Theosophical society, it was only natural for her to have made enemies with other magi.

"Caster!"

She suddenly grounded to a halt as she heard someone call out to her. Turning her head to the side, she found Caules and Berserker jogging towards her.

"Hello, Caules, Berserker. What do you need, you two?" Caster asked as Caules stopped to catch his breath.

"Sorry to bother you, but I want to ask you for a favor." Caules said, catching Caster's interest.

"Oh? What do you need help with?"

"Well, I was just testing out berserker's noble phantasm, Blasted Tree, but it is a weak noble phantasm if Berserker doesn't remove her limiters. If she does, the attack rises in power, but she will eventually die out since her body can't handle the amount of power that she discharges." Caules explained.

Blasted Tree was Frankenstein's most powerful attack. Harnessing the electrical energy inside of her, she can effectively shower the entire area with powerful bolts of lightning, making it nearly impossible to escape from without injury.

He had tested it out on some of Caster's golems, and those that were within point blank range were completely disintegrated while the ones that were farther away were scorched, but still intact.

The power would extend farther, but that would require removing her bodies limiters and become overtaken by the overwhelming amount of energy. In a lame man's terms, it's a suicide attack that is nearly impossible to escape from if Berserker grabbed onto you.

Unfortunately, it was a very impractical noble phantasm. Being a suicide attack, it can only fire once and she needs to get in close for her to use it to its fullest potential. If she fails, she would die for nothing.

"I see... That is a problem." Caster muttered while Berserker moaned in agreement.

"Uuu..."

"That is why we decided to come to you for help. You're a talented magus so is there anything you can do to help out with this problem?" Caules asked with a slightly hopeful voice.

"Well, I guess I can try to figure something out, but she's a heroic spirit." Caster said as she sized up Berserker's form.

"But she's also a homunculus, a machine given life. It shouldn't be hard for you to come up with something." Caules countered as he took out a rolled up sheet from behind him and pressed it into her hands. "Here, it's the blueprints that were left behind by Dr. Frankenstein. It should help you in figuring out about berserker's anatomy."

Curiously, Caster opened up the blueprint and examined the contents within. After scanning it for several seconds, she nodded and rolled up the plans.

"With these blueprints, I can figure something out. Don't expect anything to work, though." Caster said before she giggled. "This is exciting, I never thought I'd get the chance to study such an impressively built homunculus. It's like an exciting project!"

Caules and Berserker exchanged a glance, suddenly having second thoughts about turning Berserker's body over to Caster.

"Anyway..." Caster began as she calmed down. "Follow me to my lab, Berserker. It wouldn't do for me to work on you out here in the hallway, right?"

"Uuuu..." Berserker moaned in agreement.

"Lead the way." Caules said, obviously worried on what Caster would do to his servant.

The three of them headed down to Caster's lab with a giggling Caster showing them the way.

* * *

"So... You are Naruto Uzumaki." Lancer, or more commonly known as, Vlad the Impaler, said as he eyed down at Naruto from his throne.

"Yes, that's my name." Naruto said as he looked around the room curiously. Standing on both sides of him were Homunculus guards. Each of them wore matching white uniforms and had a halberd equipped on each of them.

Archer was also present in the room, leaning against the far wall with an intrigued look on his face. Sitting in a wheelchair next to him was his master, Fiore yggdmillennia.

Standing next to Lancer where the heralds usually stood was a man with blue hair, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the head of the clan of Yggdmillenia.

He didn't detect anything bad from anyone in the room. Archer and Lancer were fine, but Darnic smelled... fishy. He didn't know if it was paranoia, but there was something wrong coming from that man and it definitely wasn't the blue hair.

"And... may I ask why you are currently giving our resident Assassin a piggyback ride?" Lancer asked with a slightly bewildered look. He had expected the man to show up with a serious look on his face given the situation, but this was clearly not like anything he had in mind.

"She was acting gloomy the entire way here so I decided to give her a ride. Isn't that right, Assassin?"

"Yep, yep!" Assassin nodded with a smile as she clinged onto Naruto's head in a cute manner, causing Lancer's gaze to soften a tiny bit.

"I see. Just making sure. Now, would you kindly explain to me why Caster caught you poking around in the Grail's room?" Lancer asked.

"My master wanted me to check if there was anything that could be directly related to the Rogue servants that have been showing up. Since she was in no condition to investigate today, I went in her stead." Naruto explained.

"The rogue servants... So what Gordes was telling us is true." Darnic muttered as he and Lancer exchanged glances.

"It seems that there is a third party envolved. How troublesome." Lancer sighed before he turned his attention back to Naruto. "If you would allow it, would you kindly tell us the names of the Rogue servants that attacked you? Further planning must be taken in case they decide to bear their fangs at us."

Naruto paused for a moment before shrugging. They weren't part of the Grail war, so Jeanne probably wouldn't have any problem with him telling.

"We were attacked by a Rider class servant and a Lancer class servant. Both were powerful, but Lancer outclassed Rider by a far wider margin." Naruto said before he turned to Archer. "You should know. After all, Lancer was supposedly your only equal."

Everyone's eyes widened and turned to look at Archer, who looked miffed about having himself get called out.

But it also just confirmed something for him.

"I see... It seems that Karna has decided to walk the earth again." Archer muttered before he shook his head. "To think that he would be summoned as a Lancer class, however, is just foolish. It's not a correct use."

"Oh? He seemed quite powerful to me. He even managed to make a couple of scratches." Naruto said, causing Arjuna to glare at him.

"If he was summoned as an archer, you would have a harder time trying to deal with him. His bow of victory and golden armor made him invincible to everyone but me, of course." He said with a smug look before he gained a thoughtful look. "If he was summoned as a Lancer, he would probably have Vasavi Shakti as his noble phantasm."

"Isn't that your father's spear?" Fiore asked, having heard of her own servant's legend before in books.

Archer nodded. "It's a special spear of lightning that was given to him after my father took his armor away. It's an artifact that has the power to destroy the gods, but it can only be used once. It will also presumably force my brother to give up his armor to activate it, making him unwilling to use it unless absolutely neccessary."

"Hoh? Do you have a bone to pick with him?" Darnic asked with a ruthless smile, knowing how much Arjuna's feelings on the topic were.

"If we were to see each other, I highly doubt either of us can just pull back." Archer scoffed. "This time, however, we will duel to the death to see which of us is superior to the other! Naturally I, Arjuna, will come out victorious!"

Naruto palmed a fist. "Right... didn't you shoot him in the back or something? Like when he got his chariot wheel stuck in the dirt?"

Archer had the decency to blush a little bit. "Please do not remind me of that, but yes. That is how our ultimate battle went."

"Sounds anti-climactic." Fiore muttered before she gripped Arjuna's hand. "Still, promise me you won't go actively hunting your brother. There are innocent lives in the towns, you know?"

Archer nodded. "Very well. For your sake, I will try to restrain myself as much as possible."

Naruto looked slightly amused. If he had to describe Arjuna, he would compare him to Sasuke. Ever since they were younger, Sasuke was always the best. Anything everyone would talk about was Sasuke this and Uchiha that. It was annoying!

It always seemed like that still when they got older. However, during their final battle, Sasuke had admitted that he was always jealous of Naruto and how he could always be so noble and heroic to an avenger like him.

Eventually, the two became friends again after they blew off each others arms and destroyed a canyon.

The same situation was happening with Arjuna. Despite being a hero who was given praise and everything he could have ever wanted, he just couldn't understand the thought of anyone being better than him.

That is, untill he met Karna.

The guy was so charitable. So noble, that he couldn't understand why he, the perfect hero, didn't shine as brightly compared to the Son of Agni.

Everytime they exchanged fire with each other during the war, it always ended in a draw. Even while it ended, his brother would only look at him with that annoying emotionless face of his as he stepped off the field.

It was so annoyingly... heroic.

In the end, it was nothing more than a sibling rivalry between two forces of nature. Just a jealous brother fighting to prove that he was better.

The thought brought a small smile of nostalgia to Naruto's face.

As he opened his mouth to ask if he could leave, he suddenly froze as he heard Jeanne's voice leak into him through their connection.

 _"Naruto, I could use your help right about now."_

"Jeanne's in trouble?" Naruto thought with worry. Quickly grabbing Assassin and placing her down on the ground, much to her surprise, he turned to address his leave.

"I am sorry, it seems that my master is in trouble right now. I must leave with all haste to assist her." Naruto said before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, surprising everyone in the room as they stared at the spot he had been before.

"God Speed, Sir." Lancer muttered before noticing that Assassin had yet to get up from the floor. "...Assassin?"

"HE LEFT WITHOUT GETTING ME ICE CREAM!" Assassin wailed, causing everyone to stare in amazement as the girl began bawling her eyes out, effectively making a puddle beneath her.

"Darnic?"

"Yes my lord?"

"Deal with this."

"Absolutely..." Darnic began. "Fiore?"

"Yes, Grandfather?" Fiore asked quietly, not being able to take her eyes off of the strange scene in front of her.

"...Please fix this."

* * *

"Why don't you give up? Don't you see that you're only delaying the inevitable?" The green Archer said as she notched another arrow.

Jeanne stood firm, but it was obvious that she was starting to get exhausted. Shattered remains of arrows littered the ground around her, but Archer still kept pulling more of them out of nowhere.

"Even if I shall give my life here, I will not back down." Jeanne retorted. She couldn't even escape if she tried. She couldn't go into spirit form, and Archer was a famous huntress who would have no problem tracking her down in her wounded state.

"Well, it seems to be too much to simply hope that you would just keel over and die." Archer said with a sigh. "It's unfortunate that your death was simply due to bad luck, but that's just how the world works."

Jeanne could do nothing but remain silent. She had nothing to say anyway. As she watched the huntress let go of the arrow, her mind was already calculating several possibilities on how this could end.

Suddenly, the arrow was deflected as a black object smacked it out of the air, shocking the archer as she stared in frozen shock.

"What?!" Archer blanched in surprise before the sound of running reached her ears. Looking to the side, she only had time to blink before a fist smashed into her face, courtesy of a blonde shinobi.

 **"Falcon Punch!"**

Jeanne could only watch with an agape mouth as Archer was sent flying down the road. Naruto, carried by momentum, slid into a pose resembling that of a bird.

"Wha? Huh?" Jeanne stammered as Naruto flashed her a grin.

"I've always wanted to do that. I saw it once in a fighting game. I think it was called 'Super bash bros?' Yeah, I think that's what it was called." Naruto nodded before he turned towards Archer, who was struggling to stand on her feet. "I answered your call, Master. Still, your lucky I got here in time. If I hadn't, who knows what would have happened?"

"I thought you were busy." Jeanne muttered as she sat down on the ground. "I need to catch my breath. Please defend me if you would be so kind."

"Got it."

"Divine intervention, eh? I should have gone serious earlier." Archer muttered as she straightened herself.

"Indeed. You seemed to be having too much fun. That said, I must commend you for giving my master this much trouble." Naruto said with an impressed look. "Sorry, but since you're an anomally, I'm going to have to destroy you. Terribly sorry about this."

Archer froze for a moment before she smirked. "Sorry, but it seems that you will have to wait until next time. My master is ordering me back now for my failure, and I can't keep him waiting."

"Oh no you don't!" Channeling chakra to his feet, Naruto blasted forward in an attempt to obliterate the huntress on the spot. Archer just smirked, before disappearing in a flash of light, forcing Naruto to a stop as he found the spot she had just stood on empty.

"Spirit form?" Naruto muttered before shaking his head. "No... teleportation magecraft. She didn't cast it, though. Perhaps another servant."

"Then that makes a rogue caster class servant that we have to account for now." Jeanne said as she stood up and examined the empty spot. When Naruto saw the arrow wound, his eyes narrowed in concern.

"Honestly, if you keep getting yourself hurt you'll never be able to get anything done." Naruto scolded as he placed a hand on the wound and activated the mystic Palm technique. Within seconds, the wound had completely closed up.

"Thank you." Jeanne said as she moved her arm and winced as she could still feel a slight amount of pain.

"No problem." Naruto said with a wave of his hand.

"Now then, let us return to the church. I'm sure that Sister Alma is worried about us." Jeanne said as she began walking off. Naruto nodded, and began to follow after her before suddenly stopping as a thought occurred to him.

"Wait... Aren't I forgetting something?" He thought to himself before his eyes widened. "Sorry Jeanne, but I have to leave for a moment! I'll meet you back at the church!"

"Eh? What for?" Jeanne asked, but naruto had already disappeared. Sighing, she just decided to return back to the church to lick her wounds and come up with a new plan.

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be her master?" Archer of Black asked a troubled looking woman as she stared at the crying girl in front of them. She introduced herself as Maiya, Kiritsugu's partner and master of Assassin. The reason why she was the master instead of Kiritsugu was because the ritual had gone wrong and she had ended up as the master instead. While it didn't change much, it had given her a huge list of responsibilities that she frankly didn't have much experience in.

"I don't have much experience in parenthood..." Maiya muttered. While she mostly had an emotionless mask on whenever she worked, she still was uncomfortable with the scene in front of her.

Darnic and Lancer simply remained quiet by the throne and hadn't done much other than stare helplessly at the scene in front of them. Neither of them were very good in the parental bussiness either, leaving it to Fiore to try and calm Assassin down.

"There, there. I'm sure he'll keep his promise." Fiore said softly as she tried to placate the girl. Unfortunately, it wasn't doing anything as she simply continued to cry harder.

"He's a meanie! Liar! We want our ice cream!" Assassin wailed as she flailed around and threw a temper tantrum.

Fiore sighed. "You won't get your ice cream if you continue to act like this."

"But we want our ice cream! OUR ICE CREAM!"

At this point, Darnic and Lancer had just decided to leave the room and get some asprin to stop the massive headache they were getting.

"Master, perhaps we should leave her be for a while. She'll get tired eventually." Archer advised. He had taken care of children before, and they mostly acted the same. Leaving them alone during a tantrum usually helped him.

Fiore nodded, but her kind soul made her want to stay here and see if she could do anything for the poor girl. At the same time, however, the girl was obviously not going to listen to her any time soon.

"Very well, Archer. Let's-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Naruto suddenly appeared in the room with a chocolate ice cream cone in one hand, and an ice cream cart in the other.

"I'm back. Sorry I had to go, but my master was in trouble. Anyway, I passed an ice cream shop earlier and managed to get my hand on all this ice cream." Naruto said with smile before he suddenly frowned.

"Why is it so wet here?" He voiced his question. Before he could receive his answer, however, he was suddenly tackled in a hug as Assassin threw herself at him with all traces of anger gone.

"You're back! You kept your promise!" She cried in glee as she snuggled against him. Naruto blinked in confusion as he wondered why she was so wet. Did she take a bath or something?

Nevertheless, he smiled kindly. "Yeah, I did. Uzumaki Naruto never breaks his promises, ya know." He handed her the ice cream and ruffled her hair. "Anyway, I have to go back to my master and see if she needs help with anything. Enjoy, alright?" And with that, he disappeared as quickly as he came.

"All this... for me?" Assassin wondered as she peered inside of the ice cream cart. "Oooh! So many flavors!"

Maiya shook her head in exasperation before addressing her servant. "Assassin... how about you go to your room to eat all of that? You'll cause a mess if you do it here."

Assassin turned to her with a happy smile. "Okay, mother! But you have to eat this with us too, alright?"

Maiya sighed, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Something that hasn't happened to her in years. "Yes, fine. If you want."

Assassin squealed and left the room with her master, causing the throne room to go silent as Darnic and Lancer stepped back inside.

"Has the matter been settled?" Darnic asked with a small amount of hope in his voice.

"Yes, grandfather. It has." Fiore said with a relieved look on her face.

"She is quite the handful." Lancer commented with a ghost of a smile. "I guess that is to be expected from a child such as herself. A shame she grew up in such conditions. Don't you think so too, archer?"

Archer shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"By the way, how did you manage to calm her down? I don't recall having any ice cream in the castle cellar." Lancer asked with a curious look.

"You wouldn't believe it if we told you." Fiore said as she began wheeling herself out of the room, already planning to cut her schedule short and get some rest.

"Archer, come with me. I need you to make some of your curry again."

Archer sighed. Among other things in his line of work, he also happened to be a wonderful cook. Of course, cooking was a skill that all of the best heroes needed.

Also knitting. It develops great character building.


	9. Chapter 9 (Apocrypha)

"It's nice of you to actually join us." Waver greeted Shirou Kotomine as he finally arrived back at their base of operations. "Where have you been the past few days?"

"Quite sorry for the wait, but I had to gather a few resources in Iraq before I came here." Shirou answered truthfully.

Waver's eyebrow rose. "Oh? What for?"

"Assassin's noble phantasm of course." Shirou said with a chuckle. "It's strange, but she specifically requested for stone and wood from her homeland. It was quite troublesome for me to find them. My skin is already starting to get darker."

"I see..." Waver muttered. So Shirou's Assassin has roots in Iraq or the middle east. That narrowed the list of names slightly, but it was still quite large for them to simply make assumptions. "Then have you gotten all that you needed? It would be troublesome if you were to leave again without telling us where you've been."

"Do not worry. The resources I acquired should be enough to suit Assassin's needs. Rest assured, I won't be leaving again." Shirou said before he chuckled. "Well, at least without a letter first."

"Sarcastic brat." Waver thought in his head with displeasure. The man's laugh annoyed him to no end. His words were respectful, but his tone was smug and superior. It was like he knew something he didn't.

Of course, the man was a member of the Church. The clocktower never got along with them, causing each of their members to have a mutual dislike for each other over beliefs.

The association would have been better off with not letting the church get involved with the war, but they wouldn't back down. After all, a device that shares the same name as one of their holy artifacts warrented their attention.

"At least you're back, though. Caster was getting quite bothersome for us. He nearly drove Archer and Saber into a rampage, and he never shuts up about how the entire world is a story for him."

Shirou winced, obviously knowing of their plight. "I see. Yes, Caster is a very eccentric individual."

"Who would even think to summon like him? What would a famous playwriter be able to do on the battlfield?" Waver asked with a frown. Everyone knew he was weak, and caster didn't hesitate to remind everyone about it.

Caster was the legendary playwriter: William Shakepear. To not know him or any of his works could be considered pure ignorance or stupidity. While having more fame usually made a servant stronger, it didn't seem to apply for the english gentleman.

Anyone could defeat him. Even a mediocre magus with little batte experience would be able to easily take out Caster. As such, Caste proclaimed that he would only stay by the sidelines and record the events of the war like the author he is.

"I do not know. However, that is why I was lucky to have summoned Assassin." Shirou said, piquing Waver's interest.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Assassin was summoned as a rare servant with double-summons. She basically has fields in the Caster class along with the Assassin class." Shirou explained, causing Waver's eyes to widen.

"Hm... I see. That would explain how she's able to use familiars and her knowledge in magecraft." Waver muttered as he scratched his chin.

"Well, she is a very old hero." Shirou said with a smile as he began heading into the building. "I'll be going now. I must deliver the resources to Assassin. Give my regards to the others."

As he walked off, Waver narrowed his eyes and contemplated following him for a moment before shaking his head. No, that was too dangerous. Him and Assassin never leave each other's sight. If he followed him, Assassin would be sure to notice.

He shivered. The woman's presence was even more unnerving than the priest's. Usually only the Hassan could be summoned in the assassin class, but she didn't seem to be one of the Old Men Of the Mountain. Her very presence screamed royalty, but for a royal member to be summoned as an assassin was a scary thought.

She was someone who did the deed discreetly. With a smile or a whisper of words, someone else would carry out the deed for her.

Rider was also very wary of her. He said that she smelled of poison, the very thing that was said to have taken his life.

For now, he would let the priest do his thing. The three day peace was now over, giving them the chance to finally strike at the Black Camp and test their power.

Today would be the day when the Grail War truly began.

* * *

"Close, but not enough." Shirou muttered to himself as he thought about the huntress' report. He hadn't expected her to make contact with Ruler, but Trifas was a small place. A contact between the two of them was inevitable.

"What was she thinking? Doesn't she know that attacking Ruler is out of the question right now?" Assassin said with a face of displeasure. "She's lucky that the battle wasn't out of my range. If it was a few moments earlier, she would have died for nothing!"

"Now, now. Don't be so hard on her." Shirou said with a chuckle. "She may have acted recklessly, but she was the closest to killing Ruler. It proves that we have a valuable asset on our side."

"All the more reason why she shouldn't have engaged them! It's far too early to loose an asset like her!" Assassin scoffed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "My garden hasn't even been completed yet! At the very least, she should wait until then!"

"She's an archer. It's in her nature to act on her own." Shirou defended with a shrug. "On a bright side, we can finally continue forward with our plan since three days have already passed since the cease fire."

A small smirk appeared on Assassin's face. "Yes, of course. It has been quite annoying keeping the mad dog isolated downstairs. All he does is ramble on and on about how much he wants to fight. If I had to place a bet on who would die first in the war, it'll be him."

"He's not really a mad dog. I think the more appropriate term is 'battle hungry'."

"It's the same thing." Assassin shrugged. "They're both easy to control, so why bother trying to give him a different title?"

"Respect, I guess. He's still quite lucid for a berserker, so he's not quite a mad dog."

"He'll destroy anything you point your finger at. If that isn't a mad warrior, then what is?" Assassin argued with a shake of her head. "It doesn't matter. I'll release him and give him directions towards the Yggdmillenia castle. Let him rampage as much as he pleases."

"There is no need for that, O' Wise Queen of Assyria!"

An english voice caught their attention as a man kicked down the door and strolled into the room. He wore a green coat and had a book in his hand which he clung tightly to like a treasured possession.

He was William Shakespear, Caster of Red. He's also called Jester by Archer for reasons that were quite clear for anyone who heard his ramblings.

"What do you mean, caster?" Assassin asked with narrow eyes.

"Oh, I just came here to tell you that our most hairy berserker has finally come out of the closet!" Caster said cheerfully. "His urge to fight the enemy has apparently reached its breaking point, I'm afraid. Even I, the master of smooth talking, wasn't able to talk him out of it. He ripped his restraints and has begun his march towards the enemy camp."

"Oh? So it seems that Berserker has already snapped?" Shirou asked with a thoughtful look.

"Well, that saves me the trouble of releasing him." Assassin muttered with slight relief. Berserker, while sane, really loved to get into fights. In the past, he had made several attempts at charing towards the black camp on his own, forcing her to restrain him with several magical chains that she made to specifically keep him subdued.

Needless to say, he did not take kindly to being kept on a leash.

She had created a harmless poison that would be sufficient enough to knock out a bear, but it had taken several hours before it had managed to take effect on Berserker.

As such, his pent up agression and rage has just been released and he wouldn't stop at nothing until he reached the Black camp and begin slaughtering their troops.

"Indeed! It would be quite the terrifying ordeal!" Shakespear nodded in agreement. "His ferocity has also spurred Saber and her master to follow after him on his warpath! I had considered following after them, but I much prefer the safety of our camp to the battlefield."

"So Saber has decided to join him as well? Not surprising. It should have been expected with their similar personalities." Shirou said with a chuckle as he stood up. "I will have to follow after them to take care of any bystanders. Those two together will catch a lot of attention. I must take care of that immediately. Assassin, please continue to work on your garden."

"Certainly, Master. The extra resources you have brought me will help greatly. If all goes well, it should be completed in a few more days." Assassin said with a smirk.

"As for I, I'll be continuing with my works. Call me if someone dies!" Caster said as he pranced out of the room.

"Honestly, can't he think of anything other than his stories?" Assassin muttered as she watched him leave in amazement.

Shirou just chuckled.

* * *

"So you were just cooped up in the basement the entire time, eh?" Saber of Red asked a hulking hunk of a man as they lumbered down the road.

"Indeed. Tragic, no? I have been itching for a fight, but that damn vixen kept me in the basement untill she said the time was right." The man snorted. "Fool. I only came back to life for the chance to fight other heroes. Even if I should die in the battle, I would be content."

"I hear ya, that woman rubs me the wrong way." Saber said in agreement.

"And don't even get me started on the playwrighter!" Berserker of red moaned. "The man is a monster more annoying than Grendal. Honestly, I would give anything to smash his face in. All he ever talks about are stories and protagonists! It's like he sees the world as some kind of story! I mean, what kind of idiot is he?!"

"Well, he's very... unique." Saber muttered, also harboring similar feelings towards Caster.

She had to admit, she didn't expect Berserker to be this lucid. She was thinking of some mad beast that screamed and yelled, but Berserker was quite calm and lucid for a mindless killing machine.

It made sense when she thought about it. The man mentioned the monster Grendal, a monster that was only fought by one hero.

Who?

Beowulf of course! The man who swims in the ocean wearing a suit of armor to make it harder for him.

He was a famous hero that was certainly strong, but his story never said anything about falling into madness. As such, his mad enhancement status was low enough to not give him anything other than slightly raising his urge for battle.

In one of his hands, he wielded the demonic sword Hrunting. In the other hand, he held the weapon Naegling. They were huge weapons that were as big as her own sword, yet he carried both of them effortlessly.

"You two certainly get along nicely." Kairi commented as he walked behind them. "It's almost scary."

"Well, we just want to get a good fight, master. Can you blame us?" Saber said with a grin as she hefted her sword.

"No, not really. Still, I can't help but feel a little bit exposed out here." Kairi commented as he looked around the area. They were in an open space with multiple tall towers around them, making it easy for an archer to easily pick them off from a good vantage point.

"Yes, but I do not detect any archer class servants anywhere near us. Stop worrying untill we get to the Black Camp." Saber ordered, making Kairi's shoulders slump. There was no reasoning with her when she gets like this.

He knew that servants could detect others, but he still felt like he was being watched by something. It could be a familiar, but he didn't see any animals anywhere near them.

People may call him paranoid, but it was feelings like these that had saved his life many times in the past. Scanning his eyes towards the towers, he frowned when he suddenly saw something glisten at one of the towers.

What was it? A bell?

No.

Something far worse.

The glint of a sniper scope.

Kairi reacted immediately, not caring what the two servants thought about it. Diving to the ground, he narrowly avoided death as a bullet smashed into the asphalt a few feet behind him. Judging by the distance of the hole, the shot had been aimed at his head for a certain kill shot.

"Master!" Saber drew her sword, immediately getting serious as she stood over Kairi's form, covering him from the view of the sniper.

"It's the enemy!" Berserker roared. Before he could charge off towards the tower, however, Saber called out to him.

"Stop! The enemy is trying to draw you away from the camp. Let me deal with this, you go on ahead. He must pay for trying to assassinate my master." Saber growled as she drew her sword. Berserker paused before nodding his head.

"Fine. I will meet up with you later." Berserker rumbled as he continued on down the path. Even as he left, Saber continued to stare at the tower, never taking her eyes off the assassin.

"Are we dealing with a magus?" Saber asked.

Kairi shuffled his way behind a wall and paused for a moment to think. His servant hadn't detected the assailant, so it wasn't a heroic spirit.

So a magus.

But not many magus used guns out of the fact that they think it's a disgrace to their arts. He was an exception, but there were tales of another one who used weapons like him. Someone who didn't play by the rules.

The famed Magus Killer.

"Saber! Be wary! This assassin is no joke!" Kairi warned as he drew his shotgun. "You must take care of him immediately! Do not let him leave the area alive!"

Saber looked incredulously at her master, but nodded anyway. "Got it!"

Unleashing a prana burst and launching herself into the air, she flew towards the tower with determination to kill the man who would dare strike at her master.

"I've got you now!" Saber roared as she unleashed another burst. Yes. At this pace, she could make it in two more steps. Fast enough to kill the man before he could retreat.

As she got closer, she could see a man in a black trench coat and tie staring at her from the tower. In his arms was a sniper rifle that had smoke coming out of the barrel.

An abnormal sight in the grail war, but there was something off with the way he stood there.

He was standing there so casually.

Too casually.

Her eyes suddenly widened when the sound of an approaching object screamed from her right. Turning in mid air, she saw a bolt of light streaking towards her. Correcting herself, she turned and swung her sword to intercept the attack.

As the two attacks collided, the explosion was enough to throw her down to the ground with enough force to shatter the pavement.

"What?!" She thought as she rolled to her feet. "An archer?! How come I didn't sense him?!"

She was taught by her mother to detect any abnormal forces in the air. While not being as large as her mothers', she was confident in sensing servants from any of the towers.

Then a frightening thought hit her. If she couldn't sense them, then that meant that the archer had to have shot the arrow from the Yggdmillenia castle in the distance. Considering her speed and the distance of the shot, her chances of getting shot should have been low!

It either meant that she had been very unlucky, or the Archer of Black was a master with the bow that transcended the technique of man and into the realm of gods.

She gritted her teeth. She could only guess that Archer of Black was currently watching the air to see if she would leap up again. At which point, he was going to shoot her down. She had no choice but to pursue her target on foot.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car being started. Looking up, she saw the man in the trench coat driving off at full speed, easily navigating his way through the street.

Gritting her teeth, she began to give chase.

"You're not getting away you bastard!"

* * *

Kiritsugu Emiya sighed in dissatisfaction. He had been too slow getting ready for a shot. If he had been a second faster, he could have gotten something out of this.

Unfortunately, his target recognized what a sniper scope glint was and dove out of the way just in time. As such, he decided to retreat for now. Going for a second shot would be foolish considering that Saber of Red was heading towards him.

Of course, he always had a backup plan just incase the worse happened. Enlisting Archer's help, he had him as a spotter and look out if a servant should attack him.

At first, he had considered using landmines and rocket launchers to take care of the problem, but that would result in the loss of innocent lives and collateral damage.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly. In the old days, he would have no problem doing something like that. But meeting that Einzbern homunculus during a previous war had made him think twice about his methods.

Irisviel Von Einzbern. That's her name. One of the numerous homunculus designed by the Einzbern to take part in the hundreds of fake Holy Grail Wars.

Back then, he was willing to kill everyone in his way. After all, what was a couple lives compared to a wish granting device that could build a utopia?

But he had already competed in several Grail wars by then, never once managing to get the Grail even when he had won.

With each Grail war, he slowly began doubting his ideals. He had sacrificed hundreds and thousands in each Grail war after concerning them as nothing more than accidents or terrorist attacks. Since he never got the Grail, all of those deaths had been in vain. A price for an item that only caused bloodshed.

Irisviel was the master of Saber in the war while he was the master of assassin. At first, he had sent assassin to try and assassinate her so he could eliminate saber early in the war. When that failed, he decided to do the next best thing and ally with her.

Her saber was King Arthur of Britain. No surprise, since the Einzbern wouldn't settle for anything less. However, his ideals and tactics ultimately clashed with Saber, causing unease between the two of them.

Irisviel never agreed with him, but she could understand where he was coming from. Ever since they allied, she would try to constantly talk to him and break him out of his shell. She would always berate him for fighting with saber, and always helped him come up with efficient plans that never ended with the loss of an innocent life. In the end, she had managed to succeed. He couldn't have exactly ignored her for long anyway.

Eventually, they grew into a small relationship. To him, she was a helpful escape from the world of death that he lived in. Eventually, the two of them managed to survive a war and she bore a child named Illyasviel. A peculiar cross between a human and a homunculus.

As of now, the two of them lived at the heart of the Einzbern family in Germany, safe away from all the dangers. He and Maiya would eventually leave to chase after the Grail, Before he left, she made him promise to her that he would stop living in the darkness and come out into the light. She didn't want him to go back to his usual ways.

He had promised her. And now, his tasks had gotten harder. But strangely, he didn't complain about it. He knew that he would have to betray his allies, but it was natural for the Grail. However, he made it a point to only kill the servants and try not to kill any masters if he could help it.

Except Darnic. He never liked that Blue haired bastard.

"Get back here you bastard!"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw saber of red blasting towards him. He frowned a bit at the helmet that he/she wore. It made it hard to tell if the person who was chasing him was male or female. The voice also didn't help since the helmet seemed to make it androgynous.

It didn't matter anyway. What mattered was getting the hell away from her.

Slamming his foot harder on the pedal, the car lurched forward with new speed. Despite that, Saber of red seemed to be gaining on him.

The yggdmillenia castle was only a few miles from here. If he could make it into the open, he could get Archer a clear shot.

Keeping one hand on the wheel, he twisted in his seat, grabbed his Calico, and pointed it at saber of red. Holding the trigger, he began wildly spraying the street and filling the air with the sound of gun fire.

Even if bullets couldn't harm servants, Saber of red flinched a little as the bullets smashed into the asphalt. Quickly overturning such fears, she blowed through the lead like a bowling ball.

"Don't think your petty weapons will work on me you horrible excuse for a Mage!" Saber roared as she continued closing the distance between them.

"Hn." Kiritsugu grunted as his gun clicked empty. Throwing it into the passengers seat, he grabbed another weapon at his disposal.

A portable grenade launcher.

Loading it with smoke grenades, he fired into the road ahead of him and caused a massive cloud of smoke to rise up from the ground.

"Is he suicidal? There are still buildings here!" Saber thought as she followed after him into the cloud. They were approaching the edge of the city, but there were still plenty of buildings around. He could very well have hit a building by now.

*CRASH!*

Speak of the devil.

When she charged out of the cloud, however, she was greeted with an abnormal sight that nearly made her jaw drop.

She had expected to see a destroyed car and a dead Master, but she had gotten neither of those. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of Kiritsugu plowing through the buildings with his car, carving a hole straight out of the city.

"What the hell?!" Saber exclaimed as she watched what was happening. Regaining herself, she once again charged after him.

"Caster's magic did work. Impressive." Kiritsugu said with a whistle and an impressed tone as he plowed through another wall.

Before he left, he had asked Caster to cast a spell that would reinforce his car when it made contact with force. The result was an indestructible tool of destruction that smashed through anything and would totally rock in Mad Max.

He smashed through another building and soon found himself on the outskirts of the city which were bordered by a massive forest that seperated him from the castle.

Luckily, the didn't have any problem with destroying trees. Hitting the accelerator, he began plowing through the trees. Turning around, he saw Saber release another burst of prana as she followed after him.

"Maiya." Kiritsugu called into a radio. "Send Assassin to my location. I have a servant chasing after me."

"Right away." Maiya replied through the link. Shutting off the coms, he focused his attention on his driving.

He was almost there, but Saber was sure to catch him unless Assassin intervened. It was odd putting his life in the hands of a little girl, but he didn't hve much of a choice.

He could let himself get killed by Saber, but he was a hero of justice. He couldn't let the villain defeat him.

* * *

"Ah..."

Jeanne gasped as she felt the presence of several servants of opposite factions begin to converge at the Yggdmillenia Castle. From the looks of things, the Red camp was making the first move.

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he sat in the corner reading a book.

"It seems the first real battle of the Holy Grail War is about to begin." Jeanne announced as she stood up.

"And you plan on going? Even after what had happened between you and the rogue archer?" Naruto asked witha small frown.

Jeanne pouted. "Mou... It doesn't bother me anymore. Stop being so overprotective about it! Besides, I'm the Ruler. It's my job to make sure the battles are enforced and clean."

Naruto sighed. "Fine, but don't get yourself killed. You know how many people have wanted to kill you, right?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have you there with me, right?" Jeanne said with a smile, causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Yeah. As long as you're with me, I won't let you get hurt."

"Then it's settled?"

"Settled." Naruto said in agreement as he stood up. "Let's get going, shall we? We need to get some front row seats."


	10. Chapter 10 (Apocrypha)

"It seems like the Yggdmillenia are preparing for battle." Naruto commented idly from his spot on a nearby hill that was safely away from the battle.

"It is only natural considering the servant who they shall be facing." Jeanne said as she watched Berserker of Red march towards the castle with his noble phantasms in hand. Indeed, from appearance alone, the man was intimidating. Rippling muscles and the air of power around him showed that he wasn't supposed to be taken lightly.

"Beowulf, huh? Didn't he used to be a king?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, He was the King of the Geats." Jeanne replied before she frowned. "I never thought he would be summoned as a Berserker, but I guess it makes sense."

Despite never having fallen into madness in his legend, Beowulf was said to be a monster during battle. Despite having top-grade weapons, it was rumored that Beowulf's strength was so powerful, that no weapon could survive being in his hands.

Whether or not that was an exaggeration depends, but it was recorded that Beowulf had destroyed both of his weapons against a dragon by simply hitting it with too much force. Despite that, he continued to fight against the beast and simply pummeled it to death with his fists.

So it would make sense for someone like him to not be summoned as a Saber. As a person who brawled using his fists, it was fitting for him. No other class would have been suitable to draw out his full potential.

"What do you suppose the Yggdmillenia will do first?" Jeanne asked, quite interested in hearing her fellow blonde's opinion.

"I suppose they would intend to send out their cannon fodder first." Naruto said as he pointed towards the entrance of the castle, where a vanguard consisting of Homunculus and stone golems were mobilizing. "A wise decision. They have yet to obtain knowledge of Berserker's identity. Sending out a small platoon such as this should be enough to gauge his power and come up with a plan."

There were many factors to take into account during a battle. Terrain, weather, and enemy compatibility are some of the most important ones.

Berserker of Red didn't seem to have any ranged weapons on him, making Archer of Black to be the perfect counter. However, Archer won't always have his eyes sent on him. In which case, they need another servant suitable enough to take on Berserker.

He studied the golems that were part of the assault force. They were all made out of stone and had glistening rubies for eyes. They stood taller than Berserker by a foot and stood at attention quietly and composed. In his time, golems weren't used as much, often being overshadowed by the craftsmanship of the Hidden Sand's puppets.

Puppets were smaller and were able to be produced at a much faster pace compared to golems and were more versatile. Those who were superb in the art could control a squad of ten puppets on each finger. There was only one shinobi in history that was able to control an entire army, though that was through the use of body modification.

Eventually, the age of shinobi ended, being replaced by samurai and forgotten. Almost every single jutsu or art during that era had disappeared and were lost forever. A few scrolls had been dug up and placed in museums, but they were too old and faded to even read.

It was probably for the best, anyway.

"Look! It seems that they're beginning to intercept!" Jeanne spoke with a slightly excited tone, drawing Naruto's attention. Sure enough, the vanguard had begun advancing forward slowly in perfect formation.

When berserker of red saw the advancing forces, he grinned. "Glorious! this will make for an excellent warm up!"

Puffing his chest up and heaving his weapons, he advanced forward to crush his foes.

Needless to say, the battle was completely one sided to the point that it could be called a work of art.

Everytime he swung his sword, the homunculi were all relieved of their top halves. Whenever he swung his clubs, the earth was uprooted in massive chunks. It was like the vanguard had just ran into a ferocious wild bear.

Berserker roared and embedded his sword into a nearby golem, causing it to topple over as it ceased to function. Swinging his club around, he tossed it into the midst of the homunculi, sending bodies flying as the shockwave blew them around.

Now free of his weapons, Berserker cracked his knuckles and stepped towards the remaining golems fearlessly. Grabbing three of them in a bear hug, he bent backwards and duplexes them against the ground, crushing their skulls instantly.

At this point, even the normally stoic Homunculus were starting to retreat back to the castle. Seeing this, Berserker grabbed another golem and ripped its head off with a sickening crack. Rolling it up in his hands, he threw it towards the remaining Homunculus and struck them down with a winning shot.

Taking a second to survey the death and destruction that he had just released, Berserker nodded in satisfaction. He retrieved his own weapons and grabbed a couple halberd off of the dead homunculi and continued his march towards the castle with his spoils of war.

Having gotten a front row seat to the smack down that had just happened, Naruto whistled as he scanned the damage.

"That's some abnormal strength." Naruto said with an impressed tone. To perform such powerful strikes without the use of chakra was a testament to his raw power. It was nearly as powerful as Tsunade's chakra enhanced punch, possibly a level below.

"It seems that he has shown his true potential during this battle. It will certainly take a servant of exceptional proportion to defeat someone like him." Jeanne said as she watched him march. "Do you think that he'll be able to make it into the castle?"

Naruto snorted. "That's expecting too much from him. Unless the entire Red faction strikes at the same time, he has no hope of breaking through it on his own."

Despite the fact that Berserker was certainly a top-class hero, he was attacking on the enemies home turf. If it was a regular Grail war it could certainly be possible, but this was a team war between 7 pairs of servants. Even with Berserker's raw strength, it was still a loosing battle.

"Yes, I guess you are right." Jeanne said before she frowned. "It is strange. I was expecting the red faction to send other servants to assist him, yet none have shown up."

"It is possible that Berserker decided to strike out on his own." Naruto hypothesized. "Berserkers actions are normally unexplained, after all. It wouldn't surprise me if he had decided to storm the castle without telling the others."

Jeanne was about to give her own opinions on the subject before she suddenly froze. "It's a servant! They're heading right towards us!"

"From the forest, master." Naruto said calmly as his senses zeroed in on the familiar sensation of rage coming towards their direction from the forest.

"Do you think it's a rogue servant?" Jeanne asked as she stood up and summoned her banner.

Naruto shook his head. "The killing intent isn't aimed at us. I do not know the cause, though."

That question was soon answered as an angry voice resounded from the forest.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!"

Seconds later, the trees suddenly snapped as a car plowed straight through them and sped off towards the castle. Trailing behind the car was a red knight with an enraged posture as she followed after the vehicle.

Jeanne stared at the sight with a stunned look while Naruto casually sipped on a glass of orange juice that he had bought for this moment.

The red knight paused to catch her breath for a moment as she watched the car drive off hopelessly.

"Damn it... Stupid enhanced car." The knight grumbled as she kicked the dirt with annoyance. Aftter several seconds of moping around like a little kid, she seemed to realize that she wasn't alone.

"Shit!" The knight cursed in surprise as she spotted the duo and pointed her sword at them. "Who are you two? Servants of the vile blacks I presume?"

Naruto and Jeanne glanced at each other before Naruto decided to speak for the two of them.

"We're the Ruler party of the war. We can't interfere with the war unless circumstances allow it so would you kindly put your sword away, Saber of Red?"

The knight stared at them for a couple moments before shrugging and lowering her sword.

"Ruler class, huh? Figures." The knight muttered. "You're little envolvement has gotten quite the attraction. Our Archer has been looking forward to meeting you again on the battlefield."

"Oh? You mean Goldie? That's nice of him." Naruto said with an unconcerned look on his face despite Jeanne's serious one.

"Archer of red... Does he intend to attack my partner intentionally?" Jeanne asked, recieving a shrug in return.

"Probably. The guy is an absolute nut case. I'd watch out if I were you. I'm not sure if his runt of a master is able to control him."

Jeanne sighed. It was to be expected concerning just who Archer of Red was. Considering how much the man seemed to hate the gods, it was natural that he would have a bone to pick with Naruto.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to just force him with a command spell to not-"

"No." Naruto cut in quickly, causing Jeanne to look at him with surprise.

"No?"

"No." Naruto said with a nod. "It would be a waste of a command seal for such a trivial thing. I shall deal with the problem like how an adult deals with a child."

"Naruto, Archer of Red is possibly the only one servant who has the slightest chance of defeating you. I don't care how small the odds are, but I won't have you dying over some horrible obsession that could have been settled peacefully." Jeanne said with a cross look.

"Eh, I'll be fine. Besides, I know how these people are. They won't stop at anything to get what they want even if they can never have it." Naruto said before he gave her a small smile. "I've dedicated myself to you for the sake of the war. Have a little bit of trust in me, alright?"

Jeanne was silent for a moment before she gave a cute pout. "Geez... you're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope!" Naruto said with a cheerful smile.

"Alright, fine. Do as you please, but promise me that you will return to me safely and in one piece." Jeanne said with a look that was a cross between serious and worried. It made her look quite cute despite the situation.

"You have my word." Naruto said with a bow, causing Jeanne to blush a little bit at such a gentlemanly move.

Unfortunately, the mood was soon destroyed when Saber of Red decided to barge in on the conversation.

"You two are such a soap opera. Honestly, it's like you two try to make it as dramatic as possible on purpose!" She suddenly paused as a thought crossed her mind. "Are you two having an affair in the middle of a war?!"

Naruto blinked at such a question while Jeanne's face turned an even brighter shade of red.

"W-what are you saying, Saber? Why must you jump to such an inappropriate conclusion?!" Jeanne asked as she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"Hey, I just call em like I see em." Saber said with a shrug as she hefted her sword. "Anyway, I best be off. Got some servants I need to kill." And with that, Saber blasted away before Jeanne could start yelling at her.

"H-how rude..." Jeanne muttered as she sat on the ground and put her face in her arms like she was trying to hide.

"Don't be so angry, Jeanne. She's just teasing you a bit." Naruto said with a comforting tone as he gave her head a light pat.

"Are you not bothered by what she said?" Jeanne asked as she looked up at him.

"Hm? Not really. It wouldn't do for me to get mad over a rumor like that." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Besides, why should I get mad at such a nice thing?"

Jeanne stared at him with an embarrassed look on her face. "Y-you don't mean that, right?"

Naruto just laughed and just continued to ruffle his master's hair, earning an annoyed look from her as he dodged her question. While it's true that he wouldn't mind such a thing, it didn't mean he would commit to it. She wouldn't be here forever.

He drooped slightly at the thought. As soon as the grail war was finished, she wouldn't be needed anymore, and would return to her rightful place in the throne of heroes where she will wait untill she was summoned once again by the grail.

As her servant, he ignored his own wants and needs for both of their sakes. After hinata, he always wanted to find another special woman to share his life with, but he never found one that was as perfect as her.

Jeanne reminded him of her a little bit too much. Nice personalities, a good warrior, not to mention the impressive bust size.

But he couldn't let personal feelings compromise her job. He doubted that she would accept such a thing and it would only make their parting so much more harder.

Still, he would protect her untill the end of the war. It was the least he could do for someone as righteous as her. To accept him despite their differenct culture was what immediately sold him to her cause.

Yes... such a woman was worth protecting.

"Naruto?" Jeanne spoke, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright? You looked like you zoned out a bit."

Naruto paused for a minute before he smiled. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about some stuff."

Jeanne nodded, politely deciding not to pry furthur and continued sitting on the hill silently, enjoying her servant's warm touch on her head.

* * *

"Why must I be the vanguard for such a lowly beast? I should be the one in the lead, not him!" Archer of Red grumbled with displeasure as he hitched a ride with Lancer of Red, riding on the back of his chariot.

"Would you have rather stayed behind to protect our masters? You should be thankful that Rider was willing to switch places with you to let you come out here." Lancer said with a sigh as he held the reines with one hand and his spear in the other.

"Hmph." Archer remained silent as the chariot finally charged out of the trees and into the battlefield. Forcing the horses to a stop, Lancer whistled as he examined the battlefield.

Golems and homunculi alike were flooding out of the castle gates and were beginning to swarm Berserker of red, who roared in defiance and swatted them away by the dozens.

"He seems to be doing well on his own." Lancer commented, ducking as a stray golem flew over his head.

"Mediocre." Archer said as he watched with a bored look.

"Geez, your standards are way too high." Lancer grumbled with an annoyed look. Despite having met many kings who could be considered arrogant and pompous, Archer was definitely above all of them.

Normally, he would have found it hard to be around someone like him, but his kingly attitude was so arrogant that it transcended logic and was comedy gold instead. Whenever he was finished giving one of his kingly speeches, everyone would head back to their rooms to release their laughter on such a ridiculous speech.

He had yet to catch any of them, but he was starting to get suspicous himself.

"Oh? Then why don't you try to challenge them?" Archer asked with an amused look. Raising his hand, he pointed over to another set of vanguards that were rushing out of the castle. "If you can defeat all of them in under 30 seconds, then I'll consider you an exceptional warrior on par with my royal guards."

"Bah, your praise isn't something I'm looking for, goldy." Lancer muttered as he watched the vanguard with a bored look.

Archer smirked. "I'll also thrown in a barrel of the best wine in my treasury. Only the manliest of men have ever been granted such a privilege, and even then there has been no man I have seen withstand the effects of my imperial wine."

Judging by the widening of eyes, Lancer was completely sold.

"It's a deal! Get ready to eat your words, goldie!"

Archer casually stepped off the chariot and Lancer cracked the whips on his chariot, speeding off towards the vanguard with a battle cry.

"WINNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!"

"And there he goes." Archer said with an amused look. As he watched Lancer begin to tear into the surprised vanguard, he heard his master's voice speak to him through their mental connection.

"Are you not going to join him, Archer?" Gray's quiet voice whispered in his mind.

"Hmph. As if I would waste my most splendid treasures on worthless homunculi and golems. I did not join this war to fight against the creations of these mongrels!" Archer said as he produced a golden couch from his treasury and sat down. "If you want me to assist, bring me a servant to fight!"

"I don't have control over those sort of things." Gray replied with a void tone. If it came from anyone else it would have been considered as sarcasm, but Archer, knowing his master, knew that it was not so.

"Then don't expect me to move any time soon." Archer snorted as he observed the forces clash with distaste. "A king like me shouldn't even be waiting for a lowly servant to attack me! I would have expected them to notice my presence and act accordingly to my regal aura, but it seems that humans have degraded since I ruled the world."

"But aren't you basically watching them from the shadows?" Gray asked with a confused tone.

"WRONG! Unlike those lowly assassins, I am not trying to conceal my presence." Archer lectured with a smug look. "It gives me pleasure seeing the look of fear on their faces when they find out that they are in the presence of a true king!"

"None of them seem to notice you, though." Gray said quietly. Frowning, Archer looked towards the battlefield with his eagle-eye vision and confirmed that no one had looked up in his direction even once. In fact, they seemed completely unconcerned about him.

"MONGRELS!" Archer roared as he stood up and let his couch dissipate back into his treasury. "To not notice their perfect king by his presence is the worst crime of them all! I will have to correct these mongrels and show them some discipline!"

Opening his treasury to reflect on his anger, numerous weapons and armaments materialized out of the air from golden ripples and pointed towards the homunculi in the distance.

Seeing that he was going to release his powers, Gray just sighed and decided to let Archer do as he please. After all, he was technically doing what he was supposed to do, just under a completely different reason.

"Just don't kill Lancer and Berserker..." Gray said, causing Archer to snort.

"It is their fault if they get hit by my treasures. Besides, being hit by one of them is an honor that I wouldn't even give most people! They should go out of their way just to get hit by some!" Archer replied with a haughty tone, earning another sigh.

"32 treasures should be enough to establish my dominance. I will make those mongrels squirm on the ground like the worms they are. Who gave those poor excuses permission to walk amongst my beautiful garden anyway? No matter, I shall deal with them later."

Honestly... those golems and homunculus were all so shabby looking! If they were the best the black camp could offer, then they deserved to be wiped clean and return back to the earth. Such is the law of the one true king!

As he prepared to launch his treasures and unleash his glorious presence upon those plebians, he suddenly froze as he felt a familiar presence in the area.

He knew that presence.

He knew that smell.

It was the smell of a god.

Tearing his eyes away from the battlefield, he scanned the horizon with a keen eye. After several quick seconds, his eyes landed on a pair sitting at the top of one of the nearby hills.

The girl sitting on the ground was dressed in knightly armor with a sword hanging from her waist. Judging by how she wasn't getting involved, she was the Ruler of the war.

And standing on her right was a familiar blonde haired man with a relaxed smile on his face as he observed the battle.

Yes... it was him! The one he was looking for!

Contacting his master again, he spoke quickly. "Change of plans, Girl. Rejoice, you shall get to see the kings ultimate power!"

"...What?" Gray muttered, slightly confused at the change of pace. "Archer, what are you talking about?"

"You shall see soon enough, girl. The ultimate battle of the grail war is going to start soon. It is a shame I can't have my grand duel in the beautiful plains of my past kingdom, but alas, this shall have to do for now."

Cutting off his conection with his master, he began levitating towards the duo off in the distance. One of which he had a score to settle.

There were numerous items in his storage that he had yet to use. For the first time since his battle with Enkidu, he will use all of them to the fullest and display the unlimited power of his treasury.

This was exactly why he had been summoned.

"Let us see if you can live up to your legends... Maelstrom of Japan, The unparalleled emperor who stands above the heavens."

* * *

Saber of Red followed where she had last seen the car drive off to and found herself at the flank of the castle, completely devoid of guards since the rest of them had ran off to deal with Berserker.

She found the car parked outside the side door and the contents completely cleaned of objects of note. Even the bullet shells that had fallen onto the floor had been carefully picked up and whisked away.

"Careful bastard." Saber muttered as she slammed the car door shut in frustration and began heading towards the door. Before she took five steps forward, she suddenly paused as a white fog suddenly formed around her.

"The hell?" Saber muttered as she paused in her step and looked around in confusion and wariness. "A mist?"

Romania wasn't known for having mists. In fact, it was almost nonexistent. The fact that it was here could only mean that it was created by a servant.

Holding her sword in front of her, she immediately raised her guard. She couldn't see anything out of the smoke so she opted to go with her sense of hearing and instinct to navigate.

A disturbance in the air caught her immediate attention. Swinging her sword behind her, she deflected a thrown knife that was aimed for her nape into the fog. She tensed up for another attack, but a voice suddenly rang out through the mist.

"Hello, hello. We are assassin." A childish voice resounded through the mist, echoing around her. "You're the bad person that mother told us to kill. We never disobey mother so you're going to have to go bye bye now."

Saber tensed and inwardly cursed. She was facing an assassin, one cloaked in the shadows. With the fog that has now been produced, her chances of winning against the Assassin had just dropped.

The assassin didn't even seem to make any monologue, considering that two more projectiles flashed through the mist. She expertly blocked both of the projectiles and smirked when she realized that the mist didn't hamper her instinct skill.

"Heh. It'll take alot more than that to stop m- Guh!"

She suddenly felt a seering pain on the back of her leg as something sharpt cut straight through the armor, forcing her down to one knee as her leg lost support. She swung wildly, but didn't hit anything as the blade passed through empty air. Despite missing, she caught the glimpse of a small figure retreating back into the fog.

"Oh! As we thought, you're a woman aren't you?"

Saber gritted her teeth as her pet peeve was called out by her assailant.

"In that case..."

Saber forced herself to stand and gripped her sword tightly.

"We'll end you quickly."

"Hah! Don't underestimate me you damn brat!" Saber roared as she raised her sword, ignoring the sting of pain.

She couldn't die here. Her father would never fall to scum like this. And if he wouldn't then she couldn't either!

* * *

"Hoh? It seems that Saber of Red has gotten herself into a fight." Naruto commented as he looked off towards the billowing mist that had suddenly formed.

"Assassin of Black has intercepted her." Jeanne said, her abilities as Ruler able to sense the Assassin through the dense fog.

"I see..." Naruto muttered. While he understood that servants had to kill each other for the cup, he felt a little bit sad for Assasin, who was fighting against others older than her despite her age.

He wished that he could shelter her from all of this, but she had a wish that she wannted granted. He was sure that he could grant whatever it was to her, but interfering with other's lives was something he didn't want to do.

Suddenly, he froze as he felt a large amount of killing intent that was aimed at him. Looking to the side, he saw a familiar golden projectile speed towards them.

"Master!" Naruto warned as he stood up and swatted the projectiled out of the air, deflecting it away from them and causing a mountain of dirt to throw up.

"A noble phantasm!" Jeanne muttered as she stood up and saw the object that had nearly taken her out. "This power... it's him!"

"Indeed, Ruler."

Looking above them, they could see Archer of red levitating in the air above them with a haughty smirk.

"You were expecting another servant, no? But instead it was I, Gilgamesh! Prepare yourself Naruto Uzumaki, I challenge you to a duel!"

And with that declaration, several golden portals opened up behind the king and began launching projectiles in a furious barrage.


	11. Chapter 11 (Apocrypha)

**Alright, before we get into this chapter, there is something I want to establish first.**

 **The character I am using for Gilgamesh is similar to that of his personality from Fate/Prototype. Why? Because he's obviously less of an asshole and much more of a warrior than a king.**

 **Unlike his fate stay night counterpart, Proto-gil is actually him summoned around the time when he met Enkidu or before that. Thus, he lacks the much more powerful kingly aura that his counterpart has.**

 **This is the time when he took great pleasure in mastering his treasures and making himself unparalleled in fighting like a regular person (Since this was before he simply utilized his treasury like an artillery.)**

 **He will still have access to his Gate Of Babylon though, seeing as he uses it in Fate Prototype.**

 **Other than that, there's nothing much I want to point out. If you have anything to say about the story, then don't hesitate to leave a review.**

 **With that said, enjoy the story!**

* * *

Before Archer had finished speaking and launched his treasures, Naruto was already moving. His first priority was to get the fight away from the battlefield and his master, not wanting the other servants to get caught in the crossfire.

Normally, he would have been annoyed with the prospect of having been attacked out of nowhere, but this was an exception. He was excited. Beyond excited, actually. This was the first time in almost several thousand years that he found someone who could actually pose a threat to him.

Gilgamesh, The King of Urk. A mighty opponent indeed.

He was older than him by a large amount, possibly being even older than the original Sage of The Six Paths (Super Gramp).

The power he was unleashing was fearsome and vast like powerful flood, casually unleashing hundreds upon hundreds of swords, spears, and axes in succession without pause.

"You cannot escape me! Face me and fight!" Archer roared as he hovered after him with his arms crossed. While he trailed behind Naruto, he was still hovering fast enough to keep him in his sight.

"Geez... How impatient." Naruto muttered as he casually dodged a halberd that impacted the spot he was standing a second before.

All the man did was launch projectiles with reckless abandon. A barbaric method, but effective. No normal servant could counter such overwhelming power that has been gathered since the beginning of time.

But he did have a technique that could counter it. One that was quite similar in nature and used by one of his past enemies.

"Let's see how you deal with this..."

Skidding to a stop and turning to face the storm of blades, he used his massive amount of chakra and hundreds of red weapons appeared behind him out of thin air, formed from his chakra.

It was a technique that he had first seen from a foe from his past. It allowed a master of chakra to form red weapon constructs and readily arm themselves in a fight. He had easily managed to copy the technique and began putting it to use.

Normally, they were only meant to be used like a weapon should be, but shooting them like missles was a easy change for him.

Launching the weapons to intercept, the air was soon filled with the sound of explosions as the storm of weapons collided against each other.

"Hoh?" Gilgamesh cocked his head in interest as he observed the counter attack with a critical look. "A technique that closely resembles my treasury. I would applaud you for such a powerful technique, but..." His gaze suddenly turned cold. "But only the king is allowed to utilize a technique like that! To steal such a concept is unforgivable!"

Naruto just looked at him with a blank look even as more golden portals appeared out of the sky and pointed more weapons at him.

"Be ground into dust!" Gilgamesh roared as the weapons fired. With a simple wave of his hand, the chakra red weapons shot forward to intercept.

Chakra and mana were flung everywhere as their attacks clashed, scattering across the battlefield in the wind and destruction that was steadily growing.

Naruto's eyes suddenly widened when he felt a disturbance in the air behind him. Immediately jumping to the side, he watched as several weapons blew up the spot he had just stood on.

He looked over to the side and saw several golden gates hanging low behind him, removed from range of his chakra weapons.

"I see... You can set the distance and place of your weapons." Naruto muttered as he slapped another weapon to the side. On cue, another set of golden portals formed from the side and launched several more weapons.

"A fearsome ability." Naruto admitted as he formed a red katana in his hand and parried the weapons away from him. "But... Such a thing is a waste. Weapons like these were never meant to be launched in this manner."

"Oh? Then what about this?"

Spinning around, Naruto came face to face with another projectile. Unlike the others, however, it wasn't a weapon that he knew of. It wasn't a sword, spear, or axe, that's for sure.

All of his instincts screamed danger, but he swung his sword on instinct, smashing it into the object.

He suddenly felt his eyes widened in surprise as the weapon exploded and discharged a dangerous amount of electricity, kicking up a huge amount of dust and blasting lightning everywhere.

Gilgamesh smirked as he hovered over smoke cloud. What he had just launched was Vajra, a special electric weapon that manifested as lightning and was carried by the gods of hinduism. It symbolized Indra's lightning and acted like a missle, utilizing one shot use for ultimate destructive power. It was a weapon that would obliterate even the sturdiest of servants without problem.

However, his opponent was a god. He would be foolish to believe that it was already over just like that.

"Huh... to think you'd have something like that with you."

As the king expected, Naruto appeared out of the smoke cloud with a look of annoyance on his face. He didn't look particularly injured, but the sleeve of his right hand had been burnt off from the lightning since he used that hand to strike it.

"It is only natural that I, the first king, would have something like that." Gilgamesh said with a snort.

"True, but should you really toss out all of these weapons so casually? You'll run out of them eventually." Naruto said with a curious look, earning a grin of superiority from the golden king.

"Fool. My treasury has long since passed even my own knowledge. I could continuously fire my treasury for a hundred years and still not see any decrease in my heavenly vault. Human ingenuity may be quite boxed, but it does have its uses. As long as something is said to have 'existed', it is only obvious that I would have it." Gilgamesh said with a smirk.

His Gate of Babylon still accumulated treasures after all these years, expanding itself into the territory of infinite. It didn't help that he had a special skill that increases the amount of wealth he got.

"I see..." Naruto muttered as he took in the information. "Then why do you take part in this Grail war? Surely you have a wish granting machine of your own?"

"Hmph. There's no such thing as a wish granting device." Gilgamesh scoffed. "However, an object named after such a famous artifact is too much for me to ignore. It belongs in my vault for me and only me. No lowly mongrel may touch the device without my permission."

"Oh? So you do it to acquire something you believe to be yours?"

"It exists in my garden so it is mine. If it looks good, tastes good, feels good, then it's only natural that I, the divine king, possess it. Of course, I am very dubious of such an artifact. Should I see a worthy hero prove themselves to me, I will gladly reward them with the cup. Sadly, none of them really impress me. As such, I have decided to seek you to relieve me of my boredom."

"Huh... Well, you're not doing much to relieve me of mine." Naruto casually replied.

On cue, the air suddenly turned cold.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not giving me much of a challenge." Naruto replied honestly with a shrug. "A man who can only launch weapons like rocks is nothing more than a waste of my time. Hell, you haven't even engaged me in close combat even once."

"Hmph. The king like me does not sully my hands with the disgusting blood of my opponents." Gilgamesh growled before his face contorted into a blood thirsty grin. "However... you shall be the exception! I'll be taking your head for my treasury!"

Reaching behind him, the King of Urk pulled out the two twin blades from his back and swung them with ferocity, forcing Naruto to summon another chakra katana to intercept.

Their weapons struck each other and the two of them began entering into a flurry of strikes as they tried to bisect the other with their blades.

Despite not moving at full speed, Naruto found himself impressed with the king's footwork that was able to keep up with him. He found the two weapons of his to be troublesome, however. Despite being long and heavy, Gilgamesh swung them around so casually that they sliced through trees and earth without problem.

He only had his katana to defend himself against the two blades. While he could certainly produce another, he found himself not wanting to at the moment.

He hadn't had this much fun in ages. Not even the random dead apostles that he came into contact with had managed to give him this much fun. For the time being, he decided to enjoy it to the fullest.

His primal shinobi instincts kicked in and he found himself adopting a serious look as he parried another strike and jumped back as the other blade swung forward.

Gilgamesh himself also had become rather excited at finding an opponent that was beginning to draw out more power from him. Deciding to take it up another notch, he decided to mix things up a bit.

As naruto jumped back to avoid another strike, his eyes widened as the weapon disappeared and was replaced with a massive golden axe with a longer reach. Moving his hand, he blocked the artifact and deflected it over his head.

"Hahahaha! Feel the true power of the king!" Gilgamesh roared as he let the axe dissipate in his hand and another weapon took its place. It was a golden drill that was big enough to be compared to a minigun.

The drill suddenly began spinning and unleashed a barrage of golden light from the tip, piercing trees and rocks without problem.

Pushing chakra to his feet, Naruto disappeared and crossed the distance between them in a second and launched a powerful punch aimed at Gilgamesh's face.

Before it could come into contact, however, Gilgamesh smirked and casually leaned backwards to reveal a spear that had been shot from behind him. The tip of the spear bit slightly into Naruto's forehead before he disappeared from sight once again.

"Such impressive speed." Gilgamesh muttered as he recalled the spear back to his treasury. Looking around, he couldn't find the god that had managed to escape his spear. He couldn't sense his presence either.

"A very impressive maneuver, King of Urk." Naruto's voice resonated from an unknown area, sounding as if he was everywhere and nowhere at once. "I nearly choked on that. A millisecond slower and I would have had my skull split open. Of course, I would have been fine, but mending my skull hurts, you know?"

"Hmph... you dishonor me with your cowardly hiding. Face me! Let us resume this most glorious battle so that I may take your head!" Gilgamesh yelled as he hefted his drill.

"You wish to take my head? That's fine. The only problem is that when you're me... there's just so many of me. Take your pick."

And with those words, Naruto suddenly appeared from behind a tree and charged forward with a serious look on his face.

As he spun around to aim his drill, Gilgamesh froze as another Naruto popped out from the trees followed by another, and another, and another untill the forest was soon filled with a sea of blonde hair.

They were numerous and endless, jumping on trees and running by foot. The entire area had been covered by hundreds upon hundreds of Naruto's.

"Clones..." Gilgamesh muttered as he watched them approach, annoyance giving way to anger. "You dare send fakes against the likes of me?! Do not insult me with fakers!"

Numerous portals surrounded him and began firing weapons to repel the oncoming wave of fakes. Despite looking perfectly like the original without a flaw, all of them were nowhere near the level of their original. As such, they soon found themselves being mowed down quite easily, dispelling into smoke when they were struck down. Soon, the entire area had been covered in thick smoke that blocked his vision.

"You believe that this mist will hide you from me?!" Gilgamesh growled as he jumped into the air above the smoke and summoned another set of swords. "If you won't come out, I shall simply destroy the entire area!"

"I'm above you."

Snapping his head up towards the voice, Naruto descended from the sky with a drastic change in appearance. Surrounding his body was a golden cloak of chakra that was decorated with spiritual patterns of intricate design.

It was a work of art. A shroud that showed his authority as a ruler and a god. Even Gilgamesh's royal armor seemed tame in comparison to the chakra cloak that radiated authority.

Extending his hand as he fell, a swirling sphere of blue twisted and formed in his palm. Twisting the wind around it, it began to spin at a fast pace as it turned into a drill of chakra.

A small amount of concern flashed through Gilgamesh's eye. If he took a direct hit from that thing, then it would end very bad for him. An outright death at the worst, and extreme bodily harm at the least.

This attack was unlike the past few. It was on a completely different scale. Even with his defensive armor that was strong enough to take on the Bull of Heaven, it would be folly to think that he could tank a direct attack.

So he decided to rectify that matter as quickly as he could.

Opening several golden portals in front of him, he summoned several more of his treasures. They weren't weapons, however. Instead, they were multitudes of decorated shields from different cultures like Greek, Roman, and the British.

He only had time to draw 25 shields between the two of them before Naruto slammed his hand down. The blue sphere of death smashed through the shields without much effort despite the impressive quality with which they were made.

Despite that, it had saved Gilgamesh's life. Even if they were penetrated so easily, they had managed to deflect the blow so that it would only hit Gil's shoulder instead of his chest. He was still sent flying towards the ground regardless.

"Guh!"

Smashing into the ground with enough force to form a crater, Gilgamesh blinked the spots out of his eyes as he quickly stood up. Leaning against a tree for support, he began to catch his breath as he felt adrenaline at having nearly been killed course through his body.

Never before had he been so close to death. Well, second to that time a massive bull nearly trampled him underfoot.

"What quick thinking. I applaud your reaction time, but it was inevitable that it would not save you from me." Naruto said as he hovered downward with his cloak active. "This is just a small portion of my immortal powers. With it, I could smash a mountain with my fists, fight a hundred heroes, and effect the time-axis by simply existing. Surely you see now that to fight against me is useless." Naruto said as he watched Gilgamesh stand up with interest. "Stay down. If I wanted it, you would be dead already."

"I am dead already." Gilgamesh replied, making Naruto frown as he thought about it for a moment.

"Touche."

"Do not get cocky, Immortal. Those treasures are simple third-rate weapons. Feel honored, because I shall now show you one of my most precious treasures." Opening several portals, He reached in and grabbed a chain with a golden tip that rattled in his hand. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto tensed up in preparation as he looked at the weapon. It twisted and squirmed towards him like he was a magnet.

"This is my second greatest treasure in my entire treasury." Gilgamesh with a smirk as he saw the tense look in Naruto's eyes. "It's a special weapon that binds heroes and deities with higher ranks of divinity more tightly. To put it simply, it's a weapon used to keep the gods on a leash."

Naruto remained silent.

"I can sense it... you're still alive. How intriguing that you have managed to survive all of these years without being turned into a elemental. I assume it's because of your status as a hero that has allowed your authority to exist. Nevertheless, it does not change a thing. Nothing has ever been able to escape these chains. Not now, not ever."

"Then let's test that, shall we?" Naruto said with a cross of his arms. Opening his hand, the golden chain shot forward with blinding speed as it felt itself being attracted to the massive amount of divinity nearby.

Naruto just calmly stood there as he watched the chain get closer. Closing his eyes, he began pulling at his chakra, performing a long lost technique that had been used by his ancestors before him.

Gilgamesh's eyes widened in shock and surprise as yellow chains appeared out of Naruto's body and were beginning to intercept his own Chains of Heaven! On closer examination, those chains appeared to be conceptual weapons of a high caliber. They were thorny, holding targets into a form of stillness and completely immobilizing them. It was a creation of his own, something that wasn't a copy of his own treasure.

The Chain of Heaven slithered around him at a safe distance as it waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Every time one of the chains would launch forward, it would be repelled by another chain of chakra that sprouted from Naruto's body.

"Good... Good! You continue to impress me, Maelstrom!" Gilgamesh laughed with an excited grin. "To repel my chains of Heaven with such a splendid creation is a feat that only I, the ultimate king, can applaud!"

Naruto said nothing, slightly put off by his excited tone. Odd. He was sure he'd be frothing at the mouth and resume shooting his weapons like a toddler throwing a tantrum, but it didn't seem to be the case now.

It was unnerving to say the least.

"Yes... Perhaps there is some worthy humans in this world after all." Gilgamesh said as he opened up another portal. "Your legend and my legend are quite similar in some ways, you know? Your fame has spread across the world that rivals my own during the ancient times."

"You flatter me too much." Naruto said with a shrug as he retracted his chains. "Now, get to the point."

"There has only been a single person that has deflected my Chains of Heaven. He is the only one that I can consider an opponent of my equal. For you to deflect them as easily as him can mean that you..."

Reaching deep into his vault and drawing from his most treasured items, a golden handle stuck out of the treasury. Grasping it with his right hand, he drew the object out of the vault.

Naruto's blood ran cold.

The 'thing' that he had just pulled from his vault was not something that could be called a sword. It had a handle and guard, but its shape was more like a cone on a stick instead of a sword.

It couldn't be called a sword because there was no edge or point. It's tip was a dull black with crimson glyphs that ran up and down the weapon. Looking closely, he could see that the weapon had three separate sections.

He felt something inside of him react to it and knew that this noble phantasm stood head and shoulders above even the highest class of weapons. He could feel it. It was older than the first hokage, older than the Sage of Six Paths, even older than the Rabbit Goddess herself.

If age determined power, then this sword was the greatest weapon on earth.

"...Are worthy of my full attention!"

As he said that, the three cylinders on the weapon began to move and spin. The top and bottom moved clockwise while the piece in the middle began moving counter-clockwise. As they spun, a massive amount of prana leaked from the blade as a hurricane of energy swirled around Gilgamesh's figure as he rose into the air. As the hurricane continued, Naruto could feel himself getting dizzy as he felt the world shift around him.

"This scale... it's no joke." Naruto muttered as he watched it with a slight amount of dread. "It seems he still has strength to spare."

Of course, it was only natural. The Gate of Babylon didn't expend much magical energy. The only real problem was providing the prana for its opening activation.

"This 'sword' has no name. I have simply called it Ea for as long as I had possessed it. It is the oldest sword in earth, used to split the Heavens from the Earth and divide the two by literally rending creation itself to forge the world." Gilgamesh boasted, his voice carrying over the wind. "Even for a god like yourself, a power like this is something that even you should be serious about."

Naruto could tell that this talk wasn't for show anymore. Every single word he uttered was the truth. If Gilgamesh decided to redirect that swirling mass of power directly at him, he would be torn in half and shredded along with Trifas, the Castle, and possibly the entire continent.

"It seems that you have realized it. You're correct, this entire area will not survive unless you stop it. It will tear you apart along with the world, unleashing the hell of Genesis here and now!" Gilgamesh said with a grin as he continued charging Ea's power, feeling it get higher and higher as it neared full power.

Naruto's mind began racing furiously as he felt time slow down around him. He could use his truth-seeking balls, but this magnitude of power would tear through it like a hot knife through butter. If what Gilgamesh said was true, then the sword twisted space and time to create a tornado that could effectively destroy anything and pulverize it into nothingness. With such a powerful wide range attack and the nature behind the sword, it was a step above the Truth-Seeking balls.

His ultimate defense wouldn't work, so he would have to use a different alternative.

An attack of this magnitude could only be called an Anti-World technique. If that was the case, it would need to be countered with a weapon of equal rank and status. Luckily for him, he just so happened to have one like that.

Summoning a truth-seeking ball into his hand, he watched it elongate into a form bigger than him, the shape twisting and turning to form a shape that resembled with scientist and doctors called, DNA.

It was the **Sword of Nunoboko**. A special holy artifact that was never meant for the hands of humanity. It was a weapon of the Sage of The Six Paths, using it in his battle against Kaguya as they decimated the world.

Despite it being a weapon that could be classified as Anti-World, it was never meant for that purpose. It was intended as a weapon that could recreate the world, fixing the damage to the earth after the grand battle with the ten-tails and Kaguya. It was a blade that carried Hagoromo's will and essence. As long as the wielder had a similar will and intensity, the blade would be able to achieve its full power and activate its true use.

In short, he intended to use his weapon of creation to counter Gilgamesh's sword of destruction.

"It seems I actually have to get serious for a moment." Naruto muttered as he began pumping chakra into the blade, giving it a purple hue as it raised in quality that would be efficient enough to counter the whirlwind of destruction.

"You have brought out your weapon to oppose me? Very well! It is time to see if your power can oppose me!" Raising his sword high and swinging it downward, he called out the name of his most treasured tool.

 **"ENUMA-"**

Naruto took up a ready stance.

 **"-ELISH!"**

The world was literally torn apart as the hurricane of power was directed and compressed directly at him. It tore apart the space around them, showing the world a piece of the truth that was hidden from the rest of the world.

Naruto gave a battle cry of his own and swung his sword, releasing his own chakra to counter the effect of the attack.

And the entire area was bathed in an unholy golden light as two forces of nature struggled against each other for dominance.

* * *

"What the hell is going on with archer?" Waver demanded with a no-nonsense tone as he looked at Gray. "Does he know just who he is fighting?! He just jeopardized the war for us! There's no telling with Ruler will do!"

"I can not stop him and using a command spell would sully our relationship with him." Gray said quietly. "As for Ruler, she doesn't seem to be interfering. I suspect that Naruto Uzumaki had convinced her to let the two of them fight."

"Be that as it may, we could loose a valuable asset to our cause!" Waver moaned as he laid down on the couch. "It's bad enough that Berserker decided to attack the enemy on his own, but Archer too?"

"I am having Lancer pull out now." Reines informed him with a serious look as she looked out the window. "He has reported an abnormal amount of power that is being unleashed from the forest. I presume that Archer is going all out in his little duel."

"Damn it all..." Waver muttered with a sigh. "Please inform Lancer to pull out for now, but not too far. We need him to be there to grab Archer and pull him out if things go south."

"Yes, a wise investment." Reines said in agreement as she began to relay the order to her servant.

 _"Lancer? Can you hear me?"_

 _"Yeah, loud and clear, Master."_ Lancer's voice responded from his side.

 _"You are ordered to pull back a safe distance and observe the fight between Archer and Ruler's servant. We can't afford for him to die here even if he is such an insufferable person."_

 _"Heh, alright. You got it, Master. He still owes me a drink anyway. He can't do that if he's dead."_

Feeling the connection get cut off, Reines sighed. At least her servant was compliant and easy to work with, unlike a certain golden archer. She felt a little bit of pity for Gray for having to put up with such a person.

Although, Gray was the only one who was able to get Archer to remotely listen to her. How she did it, she didn't know, but it was certainly impressive. She doubted that if Gray were to die, Gilgamesh would turn on all of them simply because he had nothing better to do.

Truly, he was the first bully in the world.

* * *

"Archer... What do you see?" Fiore asked quietly as she watched the battle alongside her servant atop the tower. She had watched Archer of Red and Ruler's servant running off into the forest, carving a path of destruction in their wake. She had expected Ruler to interfere, considering the look on her face, but she made no attempt to follow them and instead remained behind to watch the battle.

As of now, the two of them were deep in the forest, obscuring her sight of what was happening.

The same couldn't be said for Archer, whose honed eyesight was powerful enough to easily see what was going on.

"They are fighting each other. I would have thought that they would have tried to persuade them to their side, but it seems like Archer of Red had wanted to challenge Ruler's servant." Archer said as he watched the battle with a sense of jealousy. From what he could see, Archer of Red was a powerful foe that could prove an incredible challenge for him. How he wished he could join the fight and eliminate him to show that he was the best servant in the war.

Unfortunately, he risked Ruler's wrath coming down upon him so he just decided to let it go... for now.

"You wish to go there, do you not?" Fiore discerned with a smile, having already figured out her servant's wishes.

Archer sighed. "I must return my attention back to the immediate threat at hand." Turning his sight towards Berserker, he narrowed his eyes with distaste. "Too easy. Mad warriors don't give me enough joy when I tear them down. Sadly, I guess this must suffice.

Notching an arrow of fire, he shot a short barrage towards Berserker of Red, who sensed the oncoming danger and looked up to see the source.

"Coward! Come down and face me like a man, Archer of Black!"

Grabbing a nearby golem, he held it in front of him like a shield to block the barrage of arrows. Unfortunately, arrows fired from the bow of Arjuna were naturally top class. A petty golem would provide little defense against a force like his arrows.

Being blow backwards by the explosion, Berserker of red growled as he raised Hrunting in defense when several more arrows were shot towards him. Using skill honed on the field of battle, he began deflected each of the arrows with his abnormal strength.

"Be silent and die already. You stand no chance of winning." Archer called down with a look of superiority.

Berserker's eyes gleamed dangerously at Archer's words. On the contrary, it was probably natural for him to speak like that. He was an archer, the worse possible enemy that he could have faced in the grail war. He lacked the power to close the gap immediately between them like Lancer of Red, and didn't have the power of a long ranged attack like Archer of Red either. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

But that simply meant that he had to improvise.

Deflecting another arrow, he rushed over to the remains of a fallen golem. Grabbing it by the legs and flexing his muscles, he began swinging in a circle as he began building up momentum for his attack.

Archer of Black frowned for a moment in confusion before his eyes widened as he realized what he was trying to do. A second later, Berserker had released the golem, sending it towards his position at the speed of a bullet despite its hulking size.

"Master! Brace yourself!"

Grabbing his master by the collar before she could have a chance to ask what he meant, he jumped out of the tower as the golem smashed straight through the building and blasted the cap straight off the top of it. Putting his master into a princess cary, he hit the ground with enough force to crack it as he took the brunt of the impact to shelter his master.

"Are you alright?"

"U-uh... yes." Fiore mumbled, obviously surprised by what had happened. "What are you going to do now?"

"I must go and face berserker. For now, I need you to stay here and keep out of danger. I fear that I cannot protect you while I fight Berserker." Archer said with a stern look. Fiore nodded in agreement before suddenly freezing as she felt something pass over her. Turning her head to the side, she could see a hurricane of red light coming from the forest, reaching to the sky and parting the clouds.

Archer's eyes narrowed and stepped in front of her. "Fiore... now. Get inside."

Without another word, she activated her Bronze-link Manipulators and headed inside. She definitely was not going to stay outside with something like that going on. Nu-uh. Such a thing was way out of her league.

* * *

"Stand still you brat!" Saber of Red roared as her sword smashed into a spot that Assassin of Black had recently passed. Deflecting another knife to her face, Saber spun around and kicked with her foot, earning the familiar sensation of a physical body as she kicked Assassin back into the fog. She many not have seen her, but it was still a satisfying attack.

"Owie... You're a meanie." Assassin's voice rang out from the fog.

"This is the Holy Grail War! Get used to it, kid!" Saber scoffed as she readied her sword. She was getting a feel to how Assassin attacked. She usually loved to aim at the vital spots in the back after a thrown projectile to distract her.

Of course, she was on edge as well.

That kick had been the only shot that she had managed to land on her opponent. While it may have been powerful, she was starting to get tired as the numerous cuts and wounds that she had sustained were beginning to take its toll. Adrenaline could only help so much when you were literally covered with knife wounds.

She doubted that she could keep up for much longer. Strength and brutality were only a factor if you were able to see your opponent. In this case, it wasn't working out for her.

"Curse this fog." Saber thought as she looked around. "I can't see shit."

Indeed, the fog was magical in nature. Along with hampering her speed, it decreased her agility by a full rank. If she hadn't been injured, she would have been able to use her instinct skill to escape, but she no longer had the ability to do so with a killer blocking her every move.

So if she wanted to get out of here alive, she would have to blow this fog away.

Gathering prana into her sword, she began to utilize a large scale mana burst to blow the fog away when she suddenly froze as a nearby source of power exploded from the area. Judging by how the fog was suddenly blown away by a whirlwind, she could guess that it was quite close to her.

Assassin of Black stood there with a dumbfounded expression, but neither her nor saber of Red were paying attention to each other anymore. What they were focused on was the swirling red tornado that was currently forming in the forest.

The two of them could only watch in horror as the thing suddenly shifted and exploded outwards, bathing them in a glowing ethereal light.


	12. Chapter 12 (Apocrypha)

The hell of genesis was being initiated right there in the forest of Yggdmillenia. A howling wind screeched around the forest as the anti-world noble phantasm came into contact with an attack of equal force.

The Sword of Nunoboko was the only thing stopping Ea from ripping apart the world and destroying everyone in Trifas, containing the damage and repairing the world at a pace fast enough to prevent permanent damage.

Even so, the damage was enormous. In just a few seconds, trees and earth had been uprooted and tossed around like they had been picked up by a tornado. Which, in a sense, they were.

"Muda, muda, muda, muda, muda!" Gilgamesh roared as he struggled against the sword that was countering his assault. He hadn't thought about the possibility of his opponent having a noble phantasm that could hold the world together, but it seems that he has been proven wrong once again.

If the sword didn't have the ability to repair the world, everything would have been torn apart the second he evoked its name. Only its ability to repair and protect the world contained the damage and kept everything in balance. It was a perfect counter for his Anti-World noble phantasm.

Still, he was sure that he would eventually win. After all, he was freaking Gilgamesh! He would only loose when he wanted to!

Naruto just remained silent as he held his sword against the swirl of destruction. Focusing his chakra into his blade, he fought against the swirling vortex of doom with resolve and determination. Whatever happened, he could not allow the blast to explode past the forest and towards the fortress of Yggdmillenia. The Greater Holy Grail would be in a dangerous situation if one of those whips of lights smashed into it on accident.

The amount of power here was messing with the leylines and by extension, The Grail. If this continued, the wish granting cup could potentially malfunction and explode, releasing whatever prana that is inside it and detonate like a nuclear bomb. Considering those messed up thoughts of evil when he touched it, that was a definite reason why he should most certainly not let it be damaged.

So he would have to end this quickly.

"You cannot defeat me! Soon, you shall be overrun and know that your efforts are useless against my might!" Gilgamesh declared haughtily. Almost 2/3 of his personal reserves had been pushed into the blade, fueling it far above the likes of high class noble phantasms. It was less of a weapon and more like the untamed wrath of nature itself turned into a weapon.

As such, no weapon or defense in the world that he knew of would not be able to hold out against it for very long before he sucked it into the void and crushed it into nothingness. Even a god would disintegrate once the whips of light ripped them apart down to the cell.

Yes, it was only natural for him to assume that victory had already been assured. Combined with his authority as king, wide arrange of powerful weapons, and the massive ego that could support an entire galaxy, the chance of victory was almost close to zero.

But Naruto Uzumaki was known for turning any situation in his favor. Even if those numbers of victory were close to 0.1 percent, then he always had a chance to pull of a victory that was worthy of his title; **The Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja.**

Before he had engaged Gilgamesh head on with his sword, he had hidden a clone behind him disguised as a henged rock to blend in with the surrounding and strike him down if things were to go out of hand. He had been worried that Gilgamesh would have sensed his clone, but it seems the man was too busy focusing on him to even pay attention to others around him. Just goes to show how cocky and arrogant he was.

Gilgamesh was too busy basking in his glory and self-assured victory that he didn't notice the sound of the air being disturbed behind him. Before his instincts warned him of something approaching from his blindspot, it was already too late.

" **DYNAMIC ENTRY!"**

Swinging his head towards the voice with surprise, his eyes widened when he saw that it wasn't another servant that had decided to join the battle, but Naruto Uzumaki. Too shocked to defend himself, he could only watch helplessly as Naruto's foot smashed into his face and sent him flying into the ground with enough force to cause multiple fissures and cracks as the weakened earth could no longer handle the stress of the shock.

"What?! Impossible!" Gilgamesh groaned as he found that every cell in his body was burning. His eyes suddenly widened once again in horror when he realized that he had lost his concentration on using Ea. Looking around desperately, It had fallen out of his hand when he had been struck and laid on the ground several feet away.

However, the sword hadn't stopped its rotation and continued to spin and generate powerful winds as it was still powered by the amount of energy that Gilgamesh had charged up inside of the sword. Without anyone holding it to control its power, it just began releasing its energy in every direction and strike everything in sight without mercy.

"You fool! Don't you realize what you've done!" Gilgamesh screeched with slight fear over the wind as he tried to stand up and fell down. "Without a wielder to focus its power, Ea will release all of its magical energy in an unrestrained hurricane until it runs out!"

"How much mana did you put in there?!" Naruto yelled back, cursing himself for not setting up another clone to grab the weapon before it hit the ground.

"two thirds of my own!" Gilgamesh replied as he ducked to avoid a red blast of energy that flew over his head. Despite being a servant, his amount of mana was able to partially fill up the Holy Grail even with several other servants still alive. With that kind of energy being released like an unrestrained hurricane instead of a focused blast, this amount of power could wipe out the world if it continued on.

Naruto winced when he thought about the nagging that Gaia would give him when he went to go meditate. The earth goddess was particularly friendly with him, considering that he was a sage and very in tune with the works of nature. As such, he was able to hear the whispers of Gaia and her beasts in his mind.

Although, she was always quite the nag whenever he let something go farther than it really should be.

Stabbing his sword into the ground to quickly maximize its ability to repair the earth, he rushed over to the fallen sword and began to power his way through the whirlwind of energy to reach it. He ignored his burning skin and hissing pain as he moved forward carefully so he wouldn't slip. He was so close to the sword that he could see the void that was generated from the black tip that seemed to be sucking the air and molecules into it. He felt that if he were to stand in front of it, he would be sucked into another dimension of nothingness where he would rot for all eternity.

He had been thrown through several dimensions when he was younger and that was enough for him. They gave him motion sickness whenever he was tossed through one. Violently, he might add.

After several seconds of determination, he finally managed to reach the sword. Reaching down and gripping the handle, he pointed the blade towards the sky off in the distance and directed the blast away from the earth to prevent it from being torn apart.

Even while he held the blade, he could feel it working against him. Knowing the touch of his owner and his viable hate for the gods, it struggled in his hands and tried to free itself to prevent from being wielded by someone other than its owner and king.

"Stupid sword." Naruto grumbled as he held it in check with an annoyed look. After several minutes, the remaining energy that had been stored up was gone as it blasted off into space. Holding the sword for several minutes to make sure that it was truly deactivated, he nodded in satisfaction and tossed it towards Gilgamesh, who was still struggling to get off of the floor.

"You put up a decent fight. Still, your massive ego got in the way. Try working on that." Naruto advised with a relaxed tone without a hint of exhaustion as he watched Gilgamesh look up at him with a confused look on his face.

"I don't understand... My treasury, my strength, even Ea... they weren't enough to beat you." Gilgamesh muttered with a look that somewhat resembled a traumatized patient, his massive ego that supported his mind was shattering into tiny pieces.

"Well... It was a pretty close fight." Naruto offered with a shrug.

Gilgamesh stared at him for a minute before he gave a dry laugh. "You are lying. Even with Ea, you didn't take our fight seriously or needed to." He gave a disappointed sigh. "Hmph, perhaps I got too excited. This form isn't suitable enough to fight you."

"Yes, I'm sure it would have been more enjoyable if you were alive." Naruto said, although he slightly wondered how different it would have been. The guy just chucked high level items like a gamer who pays to get the high class items without working on their skills. It couldn't possibly be that much different if the guy was alive.

"Anyway, do I have your word that you won't pull something like this again? It's not like you'll get anything out of this." Naruto said, earning a sigh from the king. He didn't really have to ask this since he practically shattered Gilgamesh's pride into a million pieces, but it was just a formality.

"Yes, yes, whatever. On my honor as a king, I shall not go out of my way to do harm upon you and your master." He frowned for a moment as he stood up. "Huh... I can't remember the last time I had ever done that. I think the last time was wi-"

He was suddenly cut off from finishing his thought when a piercing beam of red light suddenly pierced his side, throwing him back to the ground with a yell of surprise. Naruto, reacting the second he had seen the projectile, jumped back as another shot pierced the ground he had stood on seconds before.

"Mongrel! Who dares to strike at me while my guard is down?! Such a tactic is only worthy of cowards!" Gilgamesh roared with anger and pain, completely forgetting his shattered pride and attempted to fight back. Trying to stand, he fell forward and hit the dirt once again when another laser struck his leg and made him loose his balance.

"Hoh? It might be a cowardly tactic to you King of Heroes, but the field of battle is a place meant to be fought dirty." A haughty female voice rang out from the trees. "I would have thought a king like you would understand."

The sounds of clicking could be heard before the air was filled with hundreds of flintlock guns that held the design of the Japanese used during the Sengoku period of the island's history. Acting without a wielder, the entirety of the guns focused on Gilgamesh's prone form and cocked their hammers back.

"O-onore!" Gilgamesh growled weakly as he stared at the impending doom that was literally staring down on him. Soon, the air was filled with a sound that resembled the claps of thunder before red lasers of light descended down like an orbital strike.

"Gilgamesh!" Naruto watched with shock as the beams of light exploded against Gilgamesh, causing him to roar in pain as the bombardment continued its unrelenting attack upon him. The explosion of dust obscured Gilgamesh's form for several seconds as the barrage began to die down. When it cleared, Gilgamesh was gone, leaving behind a fading dust of golden light that signified a servant's form dissipating.

"Ha! My tactical genius wins again!"

Naruto turned towards the voice and saw a girl of Japanese origin emerging from the trees with a cocky grin. She wore a black military coat along with a black hat that had a golden crown in front of it. Sheated at her waist was a regular Japanese kata along with an Arquebuses rifle, which was the name for the flintlock guns that had just gunned down Gilgamesh.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Guns came far after his own time. They had something similar to them called a kunai launcher, but they had never developed anything that could be compared to the proficiency of a gun. There weren't many famous users of guns in Japan, but there was certainly a technique that would narrow it down.

The guns that had killed Gilgamesh had been arranged in three organized rows. First the front would fire, then the second, and finally the third. It was a military strategy known as the **'Three Lines of Fire'** that was well known for its use in the American Civil War. However, the first infamous record of it being used in Japan was made by one particular warlord.

"Oda Nobunaga I presume?"

If it was possible, the girl's grin grew wider and she clapped her hands like an excited little girl during christmas eve.

"Wow! I didn't think you'd be able to recognize me! You're really what the legends say!" The warlord giggled as she casually thumbed the hammer on her gun. "You know, I've been wanting to meet you for quite some time. It's not every day you get to meet one of Japan's patron heroes. You were even a legend during my time!" The girl said with a grin. "Although, you should just call me Archer. It's my class title, after all."

"Well, I'm honored." Naruto said with a small frown at the excitement radiating off the girl. He had dealt with fan girls before, but none of them had been as dangerous as the girl in front of him. Now he started to see why Sasuke had always decided to hang out on his own when they were younger. "Might I ask... why are you here?"

Oda tilted her head in a childlike manner. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to kill you!"

"Ah..." Naruto muttered as he stared at her with a slight apprehension. "That's an awfully large order. Do you know how many people it would take to remotely gain a small percent of winning? I mean, you should probably retreat for now and come up with another plan."

For a second, the warlord looked like she was actually considering it. However, she simply shook her head with a somewhat apologetic look.

"Nah. I can't. See, orders from my bosses are absolute. I can't just disobey them." Oda said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, it's not like I came here without a plan. I'm not someone who would commit suicide-by-god."

"That's kind of hard to believe. If you were watching earlier, which I expected you were, then you would have seen me utterly trashing the blonde bloke that you just destroyed from behind. I highly doubt that you would be able to fare much better." Naruto said with a bored look.

"True. Against any other human, I'd be at a disadvantage. With a being like you, however..." Her grin suddenly turned predatory as she drew her sword. "...That's a completely different story. From the looks of you, regular attacks won't do so much as scratch you. However... I have other methods."

"Oh? Then show me. I'm not going anywhere." Naruto said as he placed his hands in his pocket and turned to face her with a calm look. Seeing this, Oda's grin turned wider as she drew her sword and raised it above her head.

"Then try not to blink."

Slamming the sword down, she stabbed it into the earth. For a moment, nothing happened. At least, until a glowing ring of fire suddenly erupted from the sword and expanded outwards at a fast pace, causing Naruto to shield his eyes on instinct.

Seconds later, he could feel himself burning.

* * *

Jeanne's head snapped up when she felt the sudden loss of energy. It was different compared to the whirlwind that had been initiated at the forest. No... It seemed much more physical than that.

"A servant disappeared?" Jeanne muttered as she casted her senses and indeed found that Archer of Red had just vanished. Guessing the loss of energy was comparable to a spiritual body, she linked the two together as a relation to Archer of Red's disappearance.

However...

"What is this...?"

Even if Archer had suddenly disappeared from her senses, it didn't necessarily mean that he had died. As a Ruler, she was able to sense the death of a servant as a part of her sensing abilities. Even if Archer of Red had disappeared, she couldn't sense his essence being absorbed back into the Grail.

It was an essential procedure for a dead servant's essence to be absorbed back into the Grail. Without them, the Grail would be nothing more than the worlds largest empty cup, and most certainly not an omnipotent wish granting device.

She couldn't sense him, but she didn't detect the feeling of a servant entering the Grail either. It was another bizarre anomaly that she could add to her long list. Her shoulders dropped slightly at the fact. Honestly, the Grail war wasn't supposed to be this difficult! She couldn't understand why she had to work more than she really had to.

Suddenly, she felt her danger meter skyrocket as she felt the presence of ANOTHER servant enter the area. Considering that the servant didn't seem to be connected to the Grail War roster in any way, it was most likely another rogue servant.

What suddenly set her worry meter off was when the rogue servant and Naruto's presence suddenly disappeared from her presence detection at the same time. She didn't feel the link to Naruto get cut, so he was most definitely alive.

Considering that the two of them had just vanished, she guessed that it must have been the work of some high level magecraft that was somehow obscuring her detection. Perhaps a reality marble?

Getting up, she decided to investigate the matter herself. She doubted this battle would need much of an overseer considering that the Black Camp was in mass panic after that massive power surge.

Before she could move off to investigate, she suddenly stopped as a voice called out to her.

"Hey!"

Turning around, she saw a greek chariot pull up right in front of her. The chariot had been pulled by three beautiful steeds and the reins were held by a handsome green haired man with a cocky smile.

He had a handsome rugged face and an orange sash that was tied from his shoulder to his waist. His face was pleasing to the eye, but it wasn't something that the knights of old would have that could cause a woman to soften upon looking at him. Rather, it was more akin to a raptor honed on the fields of bloody battle.

"Hello there, Lancer of Red." Jeanne greeted as she identified his class.

"Good evening, Ruler. Nice time for a battle, eh?" Lancer said with a grin.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Jeanne humored with a glance at the battlefield. "Might I ask what business you have with me? I would have thought that you would rather be fighting alongside berserker."

Lancer shrugged. "True, but I have to go find Archer and bring him back to base. We weren't supposed to be here in the first place." He suddenly flashed her a smile. "Plus, I was distracted by your beauty."

"Well... That's nice of you." Jeanne muttered with a slight frown at the flirting that was directed at her. She was accustomed to such things when she was alive, but with other powerful heroes? Not so much. "However, it seems that there is a slight problem."

"Problem?" Lancer raised an eyebrow before he frowned. "Did your servant kill Archer? I know he's a prick and all, but he does owe me some drink."

"I do not know." Ruler replied truthfully. "I did not sense his death, yet I cannot sense his presence either. He has simply vanished from my senses. There also seems to be a similar situation happening with my own servant."

Lancer placed a hand under his chin in thought. "A problem indeed. How about I join you in figuring out this problem? My master will get mad at me if I don't find Archer, anyway."

"The help is appreciated." Jeanne thanked before she frowned. "Ah... but what of Berserker? Surely he will die without you here to back him up?"

"I do not care much for him. We barely even knew each other." Lancer said with a wave of his hand and being truthfully honest. "Besides, it's his fault for attempting a frontal assault on enemy territory."

Jeanne inwardly winced at the harsh truth in his words. Sure, Berserker was certainly quite idiotic to storm the castle from the front, but she wouldn't have left him alone to face the horde of golems and homunculus!

Well, she couldn't really give her opinions on it. If it wasn't a violation of the rules, then there wasn't anything she could say.

"I see. Well, then let us be off. I wish to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible." Jeanne said as she began heading towards the forest, only to be stopped by Lancer's outstretched hand.

"Hey, you can't seriously think you could walk, right? It would be dangerous considering that we don't know what is going on." Lancer said, causing Jeanne to frown a bit as she realized that he was right.

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Jeanne admitted as she looked towards the forest. "So what do you propose we do?"

Lancer's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Hop on. My chariot is fast enough to evade danger."

"Er, are you sure?" Jeanne hesitantly asked as she glanced at the trees. "I mean, that is quite a large forest. Do you think your chariot can even navigate safely through the growth?"

Lancer grinned. "Trust me. I've been riding a chariot ever since I was a little boy. Trees like those are nothing to me." He grabbed her by the collar of her neck, making her yelp as he lifted her easily and placed her in the back of the chariot. "Now hold onto something. If you wish to grab my body, then I shall make an exception assuming it is out of fear."

Jeanne sighed at the grin on his face. He was certainly quite the womanizer.

"Just drive." Jeanne muttered as she held onto the sides of the chariot.

"Then hold on tight! Hya!" Lancer whooped in excitement as he whipped the reigns and created a sound resembling the crack of lightning. The three horses immediately blasted off in response, disappearing into the forest in a form that resembled a silver beam.

Jeanne's knuckles grew white as she gripped the side of the chariot. The chariot wasn't as fast as naruto, but it was much more bumpier. If she didn't have any experience with the blonde ninja's speed, then she would have been thrown off the chariot the second it blasted off.

At least she could thank him for that.


	13. Chapter 13 (Apocrypha)

Arjuna rolled to the side as another stone slab flew through the space his head had been a second before. Drawing the string back, he launched another barrage of arrows that were knocked out of the air by Berserker of Red's weapons.

"Stand still, demigod!" Berserker roared as he smashed the ground with his sword and kicked up rock and debris that Arjuna simply shot down calmly.

As of now, Arjuna was the only thing stopping Berserker from entering the castle. The vanguard of Homunculi and golems were either destroyed, or had retreated in a panic after seeing their comrades get slaughtered. He couldn't blame them, but the creators of these homunculus should have done a better job with taking away their fear responses.

Although, he didn't really need their help to fight. They would simply get in the way of his bow. Every time he drew it back, he shot arrows of fire and lightning that was slowly turning the entire front yard of the Yggdmillenia into a burnt wasteland.

Berserker cursed as he felt another explosion singe his body as he deflected another barrage of arrows. Even if he dodged or blocked, the resulting explosion was enough to cause him significant harm. If he didn't close the distance between them, he was ultimately going to loose.

To do so, he would have to activate his true potential.

Putting all of his energy into his noble phantasms, he threw them with all of his might towards the demigod. Shocked at such an idiotic move, Archer could only jump back as the weapons impacted the spot he was in before and exploded into magical energy, throwing him backwards and shattering a stone wall.

"Does he have a death wish?" Archer thought through the haze of pain as his mind processed what had just happened. For any servant, they are able to pack magical energy into their noble phantasms and overload them with enough power to raise it a full rank higher than it should be at the cost of the weapon shattering. As such, no sane servant would ever consider doing such an act.

But Berserker of Red wasn't one who would suffer from this.

No, he was one who would benefit from such a situation.

He was Beowulf, the legendary king of the Geats. His strengths never lied in the use of weapons like swords because their fragility only served to hinder his true strength. Now that he was deprived of them, he can act like his old self.

Charging forward towards the recovering archer, he launched another punch with all of his strength. Reacting quickly, Archer twisted to the side and dodged Berserker's fist by mere inches. Even when he did, he could feel the wind brush his face at the sheer speed the punch was thrown.

He was going to be massacred at this distance. While he was perfectly capable of fighting in close combat for an archer, it would do nothing against a monster whose primary focus lies in the same thing.

Dodging another swing, he jumped backwards to create more distance between them and launched more arrows at the vital points. On the downside of activating his full power, he no longer hand any weapons to deflect the arrows.

But even still, the servant of madness displayed just how resourceful he is even in the grip of madness.

Planting his hands into the ground, he pulled upward with all of his strength and uprooted an entire slab of earth to counter the attack. The explosion of fire was like a miniature sun, blinding everyone near it. Despite that, the two servants were still focused on their goal.

Without pausing to admire his handiwork, Berserker charged through the cloud like a wild beast. Bearing down upon Archer in an instant, he aimed to neutralize his bow by reaching out to crush him in his hands.

Archer cursed in his native tongue and forced all of his strength into his arms. Shifting his grip down to the base of his bow, he swung it like a bat using his A-ranked strength despite his skinny frame.

"FU-" Berserker was cut off from his cursing abruptly as he was smacked across the face. The resulting pain and force was enough to make him draw his hands back on instinct to nurse his wounded face.

But Arjuna didn't give the wounded man a single pause before continuing on to his next attack. Pulling back on the string, he began launching more arrows at a speed comparable to that of a mini-gun.

The amount of damage taken would be staggering. After that single barrage, even a high class servant would find themselves dispersed into nothingness by the sheer power of his Gandiva bow.

And yet, Berserker still pushed on through the smoke and pain.

"Hah! You should never leave yourself open during a figh-" Archer spoke with a tone of superiority, already expecting that this fight was already in the bag.

"Don't think that this will stop me!" Berserker roared as he lashed out with a backhand and managed to score a direct hit on Archer, sending him flying backwards and through another stone wall.

"..." Archer blinked in silence as he lifted his head to look out of the rubble with a deadpan expression. "Alright... I deserve that one."

While he felt his ribs had cracked, he managed to force the pain down and stand up. Which, unfortunately, was much more presentable than what Berserker of Red looked like.

Berserker was completely singed with burnt skin and smoldering hair. Plastered on his face was an expression of animalistic rage that made him look like he had decided to down an entire barrel of sugar for the past night.

Still, it was completely obvious who was going to win. Neither of them were getting out of this fight without injury now, but it was still leaned towards Archer's favor. Another blast of arrows would be the end for Berserker of Red.

Berserker muttered curses under his breath as he stumbled forward towards his opponent. If it wasn't for his battle continuation, he would have been dead already. As of now, he only had enough energy to attempt a last ditch effort to kill the person in front of him.

"You do know that you're not going to get out of this alive, right?" Archer asked with a bored expression as he stood up.

"Hmph. Even if that is so, I will drag your dead body with me." Berserker retorted before his eyes narrowed as he realized something. "What is up with your posture? I can tell that you are a warrior, but you don't carry yourself like a man in the presence of victory. Why is that?"

"Because I know that every single fight I take part in, I will always come out as the victor." Arjuna replied flatly without a hint of concern.

To others, it would have been a simple case of narcissism, but it was simply the truth for the hero Arjuna. Not only was he blessed with near unmatched combat prowess and other heavenly gifts, he was also blessed with absurd luck.

The amount of divine intervention and luck that has been documented in his legend was absolutely staggering. If he Karna was the Hero of Charity, then Arjuna himself could be considered the Hero who Receives.

In their legend, it was known that most of Karna's happiness was taken away by Arjuna. In normal cases, Karna would have won against him in their final battle to the death. However, he had been burdened with curses and got his chariot wheel stuck in the ground. In the rules of war, it was considered dishonorable to shoot a warrior that was dismounted from his chariot.

Asking for time to dig his chariot wheel out of the ground, Karna dismounted his vehicle and began to pull his chariot out of the ground. Arjuna, overcome with nothing but the desire to shoot down his enemy, shot him in the back while he was vulnerable. Deprived of his golden armor that was stolen by Indra, the arrow destroyed his body without fail and killed him.

It was a very cowardly move, but Arjuna did not care. In his mind, there were no such things as feeble rules in war. You either killed the opponent, or the opponent killed you instead.

He never met his match, but his arrogance at thinking he was now the strongest warrior in the world stopped him from reaching Heaven. However, his strength was still something that should be feared amongst the top tiers of heroes.

As for Berserker of Red, he was certainly a renowned hero in english literature. However, his feats mostly came from slaying monsters instead of men. As such, he was inexperienced with killing other humans.

Not that many would ever think that considering he was ripping apart dragons in his old age.

"Quite the prophecy that you have received." Berserker growled as he spit blood on the ground in an act of defiance. "You're not the strongest hero in the world. Even if I should die here today, you won't be getting out of here without a scratch. I am simply a tool by my master to fight for the holy grail."

Before Archer could retort to the sentence, he froze as a distorted voice reached their ears.

"Indeed you are, Berserker. And just like any other tool, you have worn out your usefulness."

Reacting, both of the heroes immediately raised their guard in response. A split second later, however, a massive shape suddenly dropped out of the sky and smashed into Berserker of Red, throwing him to the ground in a shower of rubble.

"What the?!" Archer growled in disbelief that another factor would intervene. Showering his eyes from the dust, he peaked through the gap in his arms to see what had just happened and found himself gaping in surprise.

There were many things one could expect from a heroic spirit. Most legends were usually twisted and men could be women, but the thing in front of him was unlike anything history could have prepared him for.

It was a hulking metal mech that looked like something directly out of a marvel comic. Standing at a eight feet tall, it towered over Berserker of Red by a full head. It had a single glowing red eye in the middle of its head and a massive cylinder club in its metal hands. There were several open holes that periodically release puffs of steam in a manner resembling breathing.

Huge and imposing, Archer immediately raised his guard even more. He was used to fighting humans, but a machine such as this was completely foreign to him. He couldn't sense its emotions or anything human and it unnerved him to no end.

"W-what? Caster?" Berserker muttered weakly from the ground.

At the mention of its class, the hulking mech creaked as it tilted its head downwards at the servant beneath it. "Correct. I am here under the orders of my master. You are a liability to our cause. You are no longer obligated to live. I have been ordered to kill you and everyone here."

It definitely sounded like an emotionless robot. It simply took the orders as they were and came here to fulfill that duty. Upon hearing it, Berserker's eyes widened in realization at the ugly truth.

"W-what?"

"Goodbye, Berserker." The robot intoned as it raised its club and slammed it downwards before Berserker could utter another breath, crushing his skull with a sickening crack as the spiritual core shattered.

Archer watched with wide eyes at what just happened and could only stare at Berserker's body as it began to dissolve back into mana and return to the grail. He gritted his teeth and stepped backwards to put some distance between him and this... unnerving machine.

"Are you the Caster of Red? Answer me, vile beast!" Archer demanded as he slowly stepped backwards. Turning its red eye on him, the servant hissed in response.

"No. I am not the caster of the red camp. I am not related to this grail war in any way at all." The mech replied as it puffed out more steam. "I am Charles Babbage. Genius inventor, and the King of Steam."

Archer's eyes widened at the reveal of the servant's true name. A servant's true name was their most guarded secret. To have it revealed can bring out the weaknesses and strengths of a servant and allow for future planning against them.

But there were some servants where revealing their true name didn't mean anything in the least. To anyone who knew about him, Charles Babbage was nothing more than a famous scientist who was tied in the use of steam, and most certainly not as a steel mech that didn't resemble a human.

"I know who you are, son of Indra. I know that you yourself are a high ranking heroic spirit that stand above almost all of them." The mech stepped forward, cracking the ground beneath it and Archer could have sworn that there was a hint of excitement in its step.

"So this is a perfect opportunity to see how you fare against a combination of magecraft and machine!"

The battlefield once again erupted into chaos as the mech erupted steam, covering the entire battlefield in hot air as the mech screeched to life.

* * *

Darnic drummed his fingers against his desk as he considered what his next move should be. He had just felt the massive amount of prana that had just been unleashed from the forest, and had almost pissed himself so suddenly.

He had felt similar power from the grail, but not in the way that it had been unleashed in an unrestrained hurricane of power. He knew that it was most definitely a clash between the golden haired Archer and Ruler's servant. He had managed to make a connection about who the Archer of Red was after having Caster's familiars keep tabs on him. It wasn't hard, considering that he owned so many noble phantasms and called himself the true king in the entire world.

Therefore, it was only natural that he would attack Ruler's servant once he figured out that he was a god. However, he didn't think that it would escalate as far as it did. The clash between the two of them had torn up the earth and nearly wiped Trifas off of the map.

They were lucky that the blast had somehow been contained, but it still had nearly destroyed them all. The most of the leylines that were connected to the grail war had fluctuated immensely from the amount of energy and self-destructed from overload. Due to the loss of most of the leylines and the sudden drop in energy, the Grail was in danger of exploding. Luckily, by some miracle, they had managed to stabilize it before everyone was incinerated.

There had been enough leylines left to power the Grail, but it had been a close call. The battle had almost been lost without a single casualty in the war.

He suddenly looked up when he heard a knock at the door.

"You may enter."

At his authentication, the door opened and Caster rushed into the room with a serious look on her face. Seeing this, he straightened himself up and turned into his business persona.

"Caster? What brings you into my office at this time? Have you finished helping Berserker out with her problem?" Darnic asked with a curious look.

Caster shook her head. "No, this is another matter entirely. Archer of Red seems to have fallen in battle."

Darnic's eyes widened in surprise and began opening his mouth to speak before Caster stopped him with her next words.

"However, it was after he had been weakened against Ruler's servant. A rogue servant had attacked and managed to kill him after striking from behind."

"A rogue servant..." Darnic muttered in thought, his excitement turning into concern. "One of those servants that Gordes and Ruler's servant warned us about. Did she say anything that could hint towards her Master?"

"She said nothing about her master, but she seemed willing to obey whatever she was told. If I recall correctly, she fought with flintlock guns and proclaimed herself as Oda Nobunaga." Caster recalled, making Darnic blink in surprise.

"Japan's warlord of Oda is a girl? Strange." Darnic muttered to himself. Although, he really shouldn't have been surprised at this point. After all, Frankenstein is completely opposite from what the book describes her to be.

"She seems to have quite the thing for Ruler's servant, even proclaiming him as the greatest hero her home has ever known." Caster said, slightly smiling at the last part. She knew it to be true, but the way the warlord seemed to admire him was on a completely different level.

"Well, the warlord was known for having a... unique personality." Darnic said with a shrug, having heard of her legend before.

Back before Japan became the unified country that it is today, it used to be several smaller provinces that had split apart during some massive political failure that ended with Onin War. Like any other country divided upon itself, all of the provinces began fighting for local power and control of the nation.

At the time, Oda was one of the smallest provinces in the country. As such, it was considered the weakest amongst the others. That all changed, however, when Oda began dominating the other provinces under the leadership of Oda Nobunaga.

Defeating most of the country and taking over the capital, she came quite close to unifying the entire country. In the end, however, it was disrupted when she was killed by one of her subordinates and the entire country was once again thrown back into disorder.

Still, she managed to carve her legend into the history of Japan. Her title of the **Demon King Of the Sixth Heaven** , Is something that she had been known for thanks to her works on the battlefield. Her setting afire of Mount Hiei was also one of her most famous acts that served to fuel the masses into honestly believing that she really is a demon lord.

As such, she would definitely be summoned as a first-rate servant. The people's thoughts on her and her status as a successful military commander would boost her high on the servant scale. Another reason besides her status as a rogue servant that she should be kept on watch.

"Keep an eye on her and Ruler's servant interaction and report anything worth of interest to me." Darnic ordered, earning an uncomfortable look from the magus.

"Yes... I was already planning on it, but..."

"But?"

"They seem to be cut off from my clairvoyance. As of several minutes ago, I can no longer find them through my crystal ball." Caster said with an embarrassed look.

"And why is that?" Darnic questioned with a frown, not understanding how a magi of her potential can suddenly loose track of two powerful beings.

"It could be a boundary field of some sort, but no regular field is able to block my advanced clairvoyance. The only thing that comes to mind would be a field of the most pinnacle form. One that rewrites the reality of the world" Caster said, causing Darnic's eyes to widen.

"A reality marble?"

"Yes, I believe it to be so." Caster nodded in agreement. "I have also noticed that Lancer of Red and Ruler have decided to investigate the disappearance of their ally. As such, I will continue to monitor them instead."

Darnic nodded. "Yes. That is a good alternative. You may do so, but please make sure to finish upgrading Berserker. Without them, I fear she may serve nothing more than a minor distraction on the battlefield."

"Of course." Caster said with a small salute. Before she could turn to leave, the door was suddenly thrown open and a homunculus threw himself through the door with a panicked expression.

"Lord Darnic, Sir! It's an emergency!"

"What is it now?" Darnic asked with a tired sigh. He was really getting tired of all these emergencies. Nobody appreciates just how much he labor!

"Another rogue servant of the caster class is attacking the castle! He calls himself Charles Babbage!" The homunculus informed.

"A caster class servant? Charles Babbage?" Caster exclaimed with surprise as she recognized the name. He was the man who could be called the father of the computer despite dying before it could be completed. While not wildly known, it is quite surprising that he would be summoned as a caster class servant.

"Another rogue servant?" Darinc growled in annoyance. They always seemed to pop up at the wrong times. "Send Saber of Black to deal with him. I tire of having these servants interfere as they please."

"Right away, sir!" The homunculus said as he ducked back outside to inform Gordes and Saber.

"I'll head back now. Roche is getting anxious with all of the commotion outside." Caster said as she disappeared into spirit form, leaving Darnic alone in his office with a serious look as he went back to planning.

* * *

"I wish you hadn't told me to retreat, master." Saber of red growled in annoyance as she and her master made their way back to their base of operations.

"You would have died." Kairi retorted simply as they walked. "The girl had you on the ropes. If she hadn't been distracted with what had gone down in the forest, you would have most likely died."

"As if I would die to a lowly peasant such as her!" Saber declared with a huff, although she secretly knew deep down that her master was probably right. While the numerous wounds that covered her body had vanished from her body, it would have been suicide to stay and fight. Her compatibility with that girl was not very high.

"We can't afford to loose you yet." Kairi continued as they climbed the steps leading to the church. "Earlier, we have just received word from Gray that Archer of Red has mysteriously gone silent. Clairvoyance from Lord El-Melloi II has shown us the worst; Archer was slaughtered by a rogue servant during his duel with Ruler's servant."

Saber's eyes widened. She could understand it if Archer had been killed by Ruler's servant, but to be struck down from behind by a rogue servant in the middle of a duel was something she hadn't been expecting. Loathe as she is to admit it, Archer was someone who could slaughter the entire black camp on his own if he wanted to. It must have been a powerful servant who had struck him down, even in his weakened state.

"Does that mean we are at a disadvantage?"

Kairi shook his head. "We still have Lancer and you. Berserker is surely going to die, but he's not much of use other than a distraction. As far as the others are concerned, we still hold the advantage in terms of quality."

"I see..." Saber muttered as she thought about the situation. Quality was a good factor, but quantity could also change the tide of battle. From what she could tell, the Black camp had been preparing for this war for quite a while, considering the entire vanguard of homunculi that they had sent out to test Berserker's strength. She could easily take out all of them with her own Anti-Army noble phantasm, but such quality would leave her weakened for enemy attack.

So much planning she must do later. Honestly, she hated thinking about such stuff. Going in there with swords swinging is just how she would personally do it. She'd just leave the planning to the eggheads back at camp.

"Master, do not expect me to think about battle plans. I expect a capable master like yourself should be able to come up with one easily." Saber said as she dematerialized her armor and enjoyed having the extra weight leave her body.

Kairi just sighed. He had expected the killer of King Arthur to at least be a little bit more responsible, but it seems that she was still a child. Of course, he would never say it to her face.

* * *

Naruto couldn't remember feeling this amount of pain for a very long time. He had been fed demonic chakra, nearly had his soul ripped out of his body, and slapped by a crazy goddess, but this was definitely new.

As of right now, he was basically being cooked alive.

The surrounding area had just been turned into a landscape straight out of hell. There were numerous destroyed buildings and rubble that littered the area and each of them were set aflame with fire that singed his body.

Through the midst of the pain, he had immediately figured out what had just happened. It was a reality marble, a magecraft that was close to the level of magic. It was similar to genjutsu, but it rewrote reality instead of projecting an illusion like genjutsu. At a formal level, they were quite similar in some ways.

He hadn't expected someone like her to have a reality marble, but he could assume that she had simply been given the ability to use it as a servant. Noble phantasms could have been a weapon they had during life, or a sublimation of certain events that the hero had been involved in. He didn't know much about how the system worked, only hearing things here and there from the magus association in England.

Whatever this reality marble was, it was far from normal. Even in his base form, fire and heat never could burn or harm his immortal body. The flames that surrounded him were burning him from the inside out, almost as bad as the one time Sasuke had lit him on fire with Amaterasu.

"Hot isn't it?"

Turning his head, he found the rogue Archer smiling at him from a nearby pillar, not looking bothered at all by the flames that surrounded her. In fact, it looked like she didn't feel hot at all.

"A little." Naruto admitted as he faced towards her without so much as a slight wince. "Mind telling me what this is all about? Last time I came into contact with fire that could burn me was when I annoyed one of my friends."

"Well for starters, we're in my reality marble." Archer said as she swept her hand out dramatically. " **Demon King of The Sixth Heaven** is the name of this reality marble. A crystallization of my act of setting Mt. Hiei aflame. Just like my personal skill, it's a reality marble specifically made for destroying those with high amounts of mystery and divinity. It would normally be weak against ordinary human servants with little mystery, but considering that many heroes of the ancient era already have mystery surrounding them, I do not need to worry much about it."

"Huh." Naruto said with a thoughtful look as he looked around the burning hell with an unconcerned look. "So... you're betting that these flames will be able to burn me, correct?"

"That is true facts." Archer said with a nod of agreement. "I don't expect you to last long, honestly. You're quite famous, but these flames will burn hotter than the sun itself! You have no choice but to melt here on your own!" Archer cackled like a child as she assured her victory.

"Is that so?" Naruto smirked as he closed his eyes. He hadn't utilized this dojutsu for quite a while, but now would be a good time to test them out again. At least in here, he wouldn't be hurting anyone other than that child emperor. If she lived, unlikely that may be, he'll just take his sweet time destroying her.

"Eh? You're closing your eyes? That's no fun! Don't you want to see yourself burn?" Archer asked with a childish pout.

"So you want me to open them? Is that it?"

Archer brightened up considerably. "Yeah! It's much more satisfying to see your eyes open!"

"Alright, sure. Just try not to get lost in them. You'll be blown away." Naruto said with a small smirk as if he was sharing in a private joke. Confused, Archer stared closely at Naruto's face as he opened his eyes.

She only had a second to process that Naruto's normal blue eyes were suddenly purple before the entire world shattered around her.

 **"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"**

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the way we're supposed to be going?" Jeanne questioned as she tightly held onto the chariot.

"Sure it is. That was a pretty big blast, right? So we'll eventually run into your servant if we just keep heading straight!" Lancer said with a grin as he whipped the reigns, making the horses run faster. As they rode, Lancer suddenly felt more aware of the woman behind him. "So... What's your name?"

Jeanne glared at him. "I'd rather not tell you."

"What? Why not?" Lancer asked, not at all used to being turned down by a woman. "I'm just really curious. It's not like I would just throw your name around to everyone I see."

"It's not about that." Jeanne said. "This is more about how you, possibly the most emotionally unstable hero in Greece, is flirting with a girl like me."

Lancer frowned. "Hey! I'm not emotionally unstable!"

"Really? If what the information the grail gave me was truth, then it basically proves it. I mean, who drags his enemies body through the dirt on the back of his chariot after he stole your boyfriends armor? Sounds like something an emotionally unstable person would do." Jeanne said with a huff and a cross of her arms.

Lancer's face twitched in annoyance. He absolutely hated being reminded of that messed up war. "Alright, fine. I won't make any attempt to flirt with you, but could I at least get a name? A candidate selected for this special Ruler class has to be a hero of great standing."

Jeanne sighed. "Jeanne d'arc. Maid of Orleans and the patron saint of France."

"Ah, that explains the weird presence you seem to put off." Lancer noted, slightly berating himself for not figuring it out sooner. France didn't have many historical leaders that were women, but the Ruler class would most definitely call for a hero who had the mindset of a fair judge. As such, a person who had acquired the title of a saint would be the most likely choice. Due to her obvious French accent, it all pointed directly to her.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jeanne. And don't worry, I'll keep my promise. It's quite obvious that you already have eyes for someone else."

Lancer could have sworn that steam had erupted out of her ears as her face turned to embarrassment. "W-what could you possibly be talking about, Lancer?!" She stammered, causing the greek hero to chuckle.

"Nothing. Don't mind me." He said with a smirk as he kept his eyes on the road. Jeanne puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and was about to launch into a speech about how rude it was for him to tease her, but she stopped as Lancer suddenly raised his hand in front of her face and blocked a projectile that had been aimed at her head by an unknown assailant.

"An assassin!" Lancer hissed as he drew his spear and whipped the chariot to a stop and stepped down to the ground. "Watch the back."

"Don't need to tell me," Jeanne muttered as she materialized her banner and dismounted the chariot. "Come out, Billy! I recognized the sound your bullets made when it was deflected off of Lancer's arm!"

The leaves in the tree rustled as the blonde cowboy appeared on a nearby branch with a grin on his face as he stared down at them. In his hand was his signature revolver and a burning cigarette rested comfortably in his mouth, smoke drifting outward with every breath.

"Nice memory," Billy said. "I didn't think you would be able to remember the sound of my bullets. It seems I underestimated you once again."

"A cowboy?" Lancer questioned, recognizing Billy's name and attire from the information the grail had given him.

"Yep, pretty much," Billy replied, twirling his gun leisurely. "Although, I don't really like to consider myself such. Honestly, the definition of a 'cowboy' is different today than during my time."

"So I assume that you are here to pick up where you left off?" Jeanne asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. My boss is quite upset that I hadn't managed to kill you before you summoned that little servant of yours. Since he is preoccupied right now, this will be the perfect time for me to redeem myself." Billy said as he pointed his gun at her.

"I'm afraid it won't be as easy as you think, blondie," Lancer said as he stepped in front of Jeanne, shielding her from view. "Your attacks are nothing more than rabble to me. If you lower your gun, I will give you ten seconds for you to run away. If your fast enough, you might be able to hide from me and escape."

"Ah, yes," The cowboy sighed in a tired manner. "The immortal hero of Greece. I have no chance of beating someone like you. A mere cowboy like myself could never stand up to a hero of your calibre."

"Hoh? So you figured out my true identity? Smart, but it does not make a difference." Lancer said, not at all afraid of having his true name casually revealed.

Suddenly, Jeanne tensed as she felt the presence of another servant behind her. "Lancer! Behind us!"

From the trees behind them, a massive roar was heard as the bull of king Minos descended from above and impacted the ground, creating a crater that was big enough to fit an entire person inside.

"That's Asterios. He's my designated partner and he will be the one to entertain you." Billy said as he resumed pointing his gun at Jeanne. "She will have to dance with me."

"The Minotaur? The one that the great Thesus killed?" Lancer said in surprise as he turned to look at the monster. At the mention of Thesus, however, a glowing red aura seemed to form around the monster as it roared and smashed its halberds together.

"Oh, he hates being called that. Last time someone said it, he was turned into a red grease spot on the ground. It also goes without saying, but he absolutely hates Thesus with a passion." Billy explained.

"What a poor creature." Jeanne muttered under her breath, quiet enough so no one could hear her. The Minotaur was a monster that had been bred by King Minos as a symbol of fear for his subjects and Greece. It was normally portrayed as a villain that killed innocent people that King Minos sent to it, but it was simply trained to do that at birth by the corrupt king. It wasn't its fault that killing was all it knew how to do.

"Indeed. Therefore, I shall relieve it of its misery the old fashioned way." Lancer said as he stepped forward and let his spear dissipate, much to everyones surprise.

"You're going to fight with your fists?" Jeanne asked.

"It'll make things more interesting. We'll get to see who is stronger anyway." Lancer said as he cracked his knuckles in preparation and the Berserk Asterios raised knocked his axes in response.

"Let's get this party started shall we? I estimate that we only have a couple of minutes befor-

Billy was suddenly cut off abruptly as the space behind him suddenly shattered like glass as an explosion of force washed over all of them, nearly knocking them straight to the ground in surprise.

"What?! The reality marble broke?!" Billy exclaimed in shock as reality basically imploded on itself.

"It must be Naruto..." Jeanne muttered in awe as she fought to remain standing. There wasn't many things one could do once they were trapped in a reality marble. At best, they could only wait until the owner couldn't maintain it anymore due to a lack of prana. Destroying it from the inside, however, was a completely different story. It would require a force that could effect even reality on a large scale. Very few heroic spirits have a noble phantasm of that scale, but it would be trivial matters for someone like Naruto.

"Bakana! That reality should have destroyed him! How much power does this guy even have?!" Billy screamed as he stared in shock as he was blown backwards and onto the ground below. "Screw this shit, I'm out of here! Let us go Asterios! We must retreat again!"

"Wait!" Jeanne yelled as she watched the two servants begin to run off.

"I've got them!" Lancer roared as he prepared to run after them. Before he could, however, the two servants suddenly disappeared with nothing more than a yelp as a large black projectile descended down towards them from the sky, covering them in an ominous shadow of doom that threatened to eat them.

"OH MY GO-" Billy's yell of panic was cut off abruptly as the black object squashed both him and Asterios flat without any problem. With its job done, the flat object twisted itself into a black orb and disappeared as it dissolved into nothing.

"Oh? You're here Jeanne?"

Looking upwards, Lancer and Jeanne's mouths hinged open as Naruto descended down from the sky in a relaxed tone. Despite casually blowing up a world and killing two, possibly 3, servants without issue, he looked like he had just came from the supermarket!

"Naruto! You're alright!" Jeanne exclaimed with a smile, causing the blonde to smirk.

"Yes, I am!" Naruto said as he gave her a thumbs up. "Still, why did you come here on your own? It's still dangerous with all of these rogue servants around."

"Well, I didn't really come on my own. Lancer of Red also... escorted... me..." Jeanne trailed off as she realized that Lancer of Red was no longer standing beside her. "That's strange... I thought he was just here? Perhaps he was blown away by the wind?"

Several miles away, a green haired man groaned in pain as he laid down on the ground under several broken trees.

"Hm... I see. Well then, I must be sure to thank him later." Naruto said with a smile as he touched the ground and ruffled her hair. "Thanks for coming, though. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Jeanne blushed in embarrassment. "There's no need to thank me... It's what comrades do, right?"

"Heh, correct." Naruto said before he reached down and grasped her hand. "Come on. Let's go back to the Church. Sister will be waiting, and you must rest once again. And this time, you won't have to worry about me going out for trouble without you. I will stay with you until you are fully healed."

Jeanne beamed with a happy smile. "Alright. Let's go back then, Naruto."

With the battle settled, the pair soon trudged back home with high spirits.

Well, except a certain green haired lancer.


	14. Chapter 14 (Apocrypha)

Archer of Black raised his bow in preparation as the hulking metal mech stepped towards him. For the past few minutes, the two of them had done nothing but survey each other from a distance as they tried to gauge each others abilities and skills.

It was not looking good for him.

He was undeniably weakened from his previous fight with Berserker of Red. Facing another powerful servant directly after was a major folly that may very well cost him his life. Normally, he would simply boast about how powerful he was and destroy the servant into a bloody pulp, but he wisely chose to save the energy and time.

He could feel nothing but power and magical energy leaking off of the mech. Its design somewhat resembled a metal cyclops, but the way that it moved was so... human like. It was very unnerving.

Every step it took shook the earth. Every single breath it took belched even more hot steam into the air, creating a dry sauna that was slowly making it harder for him to even breathe. It was like the smog that had claimed thousands of lives in London, something that their residential Assassin had fallen prey to.

Then without warning, the mech spoke.

"Do you grasp the splendor of it?" The cyborg Caster asked as it flexed its fingers, making the joints creak. "The pinnacle of magecraft and machine... combined into one perfect being. It is truly a miracle of man's creation."

Archer began sweating bullets as the steam in the air suddenly intensified, showing a clear sign that Caster was getting agitated with each passing second.

"It is the birth of a new being," Caster rasped in a sort of laughing fit. "The intelligence of the human brain... amalgamated... with the efficiency... and the obedience of the machine."

"You're psychotic..." Archer muttered.

"It is the creation of my dream... the project that I had hoped to reach and achieve during my lifetime in my quest to revolutionize the world with the glorious power of steam!" Caster suddenly paused in thought. "Although, I do admit that the current system isn't so bad itself. However... there are ways that steam can transcend the use of electricity! You may think of this as a rant of a psychotic madman, but it is a three syllable word for any thought too big for little minds."

"How can someone like you ever be elevated to the level of a heroic spirit?" Archer spat, having grown tired of the madman's rant on steam and technology. "You're no hero. You're just a psychopath that is obsessed with a power that isn't even used much in the world."

The mech's eye suddenly seemed to glow brighter as it comprehended what he had said. "You are right, I am absolutely not a hero. I am fine with you saying that to my face, for it is simply the truth. I am nothing more than a simple mathematician and scientist from the 19th century. However..."

Archer's eyes suddenly widened in shock as the mech suddenly exploded forward with speed that should not have been possible for an object of that size. Bearing down on him, it raised its metal club in an attempt to pulverize him on the spot with the wrath of an angry god.

"Do not underestimate the power of steam!" The mech's robotic voice roared, slightly becoming distorted in an ominous manner as the intent to kill flooded into the metal body of the crazy scientist.

Archer shifted his strength to his legs in an attempt to dodge backwards. One hit from that club and he would be squashed flat without effort. Before he could do so, however, a blur appeared in front of him and stopped the blow from Caster's club, disturbing the air as two powerhouses collided.

"Saber!" Archer said in surprise at the sight of the quiet dragon slayer. The stoic man held his massive great-sword with both hands, struggling against Caster's strength as he fought from the unfavorable position.

"Archer..." Archer's eyes widened in even further surprise as he heard Saber speak. Speak! Saber never spoke to any of them, not even little Jackie! "You must retreat for now. Let me deal with this rogue servant."

Archer didn't even hesitate to throw himself at a chance to finally rest for the day. "Fine, but don't let this heap of scrap metal beat you."

For a moment, a ghost of a smirk appeared on Siegfried's face. "Won't happen. Fafnir was bigger."

Standing up, Archer gave his savior a thankful nod before disappearing into spirit form and retreating back to the castle to rest his body. Even for a being who didn't need to sleep, he still felt immense fatigue from the events of the past hour.

Now having the field void of teammates, Saber returned his attention back to the rogue Caster. "Tell me fiend, why have you decided to trample upon our territory? My lord is not happy about your transgression, and has half a mind to come out here and deal with you himself."

"The dragon slayer Siegfried..." The machine rasped, shocking Saber at the mention of his true name. "Do not be surprised. My masters are very cautious and have managed to deduce your identity through a process of trial and error."

Saber inwardly cursed alongside his master. His identity had just been revealed, ruining the amount of effort and planning that his master had gone to in an attempt to conceal his most glaring weakness.

How did they manage to get information about him? He rarely stepped foot outside of the castle, not seeing any need to do so other than to get a breath of fresh air. He also knew for a fact that the Yggdmillenia had powerful magical wards, blocking any clairvoyance and familiars from peeking in on them from the outside. However they managed to do so would require the use of an extremely talented magus or other conventional means to do so.

A simple method would be the use of machines like telescopes or cameras. Despite the fact that magi are usually above regular humans, they are often more prideful than the regular bunch. An example of that would be their absolute hate of machines, thinking that they were a taboo and a heresy against their arts because of the fact that they simply believe in their magecraft so much, they find it more superior than simple machines.

They underestimated such technology, but Saber made a mental note to destroy anything that looks suspicious. If the Magus Killer's reputation was anything to go by, they can be more useful than magecraft.

Which begs the question...

"Do you know the identity of all the servants in the war?" Saber asked as he stared unflinchingly into the servant's laser eye.

"Hmph. Yes, we have," Caster said. "All info we have has been supplied to us by a very influential man. It includes stat-sheets, True names, and Noble phantasms. That includes all of the masters that are participating in the war."

Saber's eyes widened once again. "All of the participants, huh?" His eyes narrowed in realization as a certain thought came to mind. "A traitor..."

"Correct. Now that you know, I must eliminate you. Don't take it to personally."

Before Saber could properly react, Caster's armor released steam from several holes in its body. With a sudden new surge of strength, Saber suddenly found himself being pushed backwards in surprise at the newfound strength the mech hadn't previously exhibited.

"What power..." Saber muttered as he disengaged and jumped backwards, dodging an overhead strike that shattered the ground beneath him and created chunks of earth explode everywhere.

Regaining his bearings, Saber renewed his stance and charged forward to meet the metal foe. Swinging his sword with expert precision and tremendous power, he launched a barrage of sword swings at a speed that most would have a hard time following.

He suddenly found himself being countered by Caster as the mech's arm swung its club to meet him. With more speed and finesse than its metal arm should have been capable of.

With sword meeting club, the air was filled with explosions of sound as the two powerful existences clashed against each other in an effort to dominate the other through the use of their physical power. Trading each other blow for blow and not finding any leeway, Saber decided to step things up a bit.

"Hah!"

Stepping forward fearlessly into Caster's guard, he swung his sword forward to slash at the glowing red eye in the middle of Caster's head. He may not know where the vital spot on the mech was, but he could certainly start with getting rid of the enemies vision.

"Don't underestimate the power of steam!" Caster roared as the suit suddenly blasted steam from every orifice on its chest, burning Siegfried's lungs and making his eyes water slightly as he walked directly into the attack. Pushing through, he swung his sword blindly and felt it bite into steel before he was sent flying sideways into a wall by a metal gauntlet.

He coughed as a fresh blast of air hit him and forced himself to stand. He looked down and noticed that several of his ribs had broke under the strike that Caster had given him. No one, not even the rogue lancer that he had traded blows with had been able to harm him to this degree.

His **Armor of Fafnir** was a continuously active noble phantasm that shielded his body by transforming his skin into the toughest armor. It nullified attacks from servants that were B ranked or lower, effectively making him invincible to normal attacks. With it he was able to trudge into battle without fear of getting mortally wounded, taking enemy attacks head on without a care to his own safety.

Of course, such power has to have a limit to its use. It requires an A-ranked attack to cause any harm to him, but attacks only register as damage after the defensive values equal to B-ranked are subtracted by them. As such, all A-ranked attacks are effectively reduced to E-ranked attacks, causing minor scratches that can be healed by his master in the midst of battle.

However, the attack that had just struck him had caused not a scratch, but broken bones. As such, he could only deduce that the mech's power was able to exceed that of a normal A-ranked attack through the use of a + modifier. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was because of the steam Caster emitted.

There was also a problem with the fact that Caster knew his identity as the legendary dragon slayer. While he was known to have impenetrable armor, he also had a glaring weak spot that could allow even the lowest leveled servant to kill him if they were lucky.

At the small of his back was a leaf shaped mark that had landed on him while he was bathing in the blood of Fafnir. Like the legendary heel of Achilles, it was his only weak point and would most certainly spell his doom if it was struck.

It was the reason why Gordes had took measures to hide his identity. If the enemy servants knew about him, they would aim at his back the next time they were to meet. Of course, he was a peerless swordsman whose skills transcended mankind. There weren't many servants that would be able to pull off a maneuver that allowed them to get behind him and strike his back. As long as he remained cautious, he was practically invincible.

Any normal person would cover their back with armor to hide his identity, but he was incapable of doing so due to a curse that had been placed on him that forces him to show his back to the world, placing a giant target on his back for assassins.

Standing up, he hefted his great sword and waited patiently for Caster to make his move. Seconds later, Caster appeared out of the cloud of steam without any injury other than a small slash mark above his red eye from where his sword bit in.

"You are strong as the legends say about you, dragon slayer," Caster applauded as he stopped moving. "But as you can see... your blade didn't cut deep enough."

 _"Saber!"_ Saber suddenly heard his master's voice speak through their link. _"This foul servant has revealed your identity! You must defeat this mechanical monstrosity posthaste with your power! Unleash your noble phantasm and show him why you are the dragon-slayer Siegfried!"_

 _"Of course, master."_ Saber replied obediently, agreeing with his master's decision. Now that his identity had been revealed, there wasn't much for him to loose. He had no doubt that the red faction has been spying in on them from familiars, so they must already know of his name.

"A silent conversation with your master, eh?" Caster said, shaking Saber from his conversation. "By the seriousness of the situation, I hypothesize that you are thinking about the release of your noble phantasm, aren't you?"

Saber remained silent, simply taking a stance and raising his sword in response. With his sword held high, wisps of energy began to bathe it with an ethereal light of a holy sword that was wielded by a true hero.

"In that case, I shall respond to your challenge with my own." Caster said as steam bursted from multiple holes in its body, covering the area with searing heat and a loud screeching noise that was thousands of times worse than that of a tea kettle.

"My fantasy, my ideal, my dream; **Dimension of steam!** " Caster proclaimed as the red eye began flashing at a rapid pace alongside the sound of an alarm bell, signaling the release of the suits power as it rose into the air using a propulsion of pressurized steam.

"O sword, let thee be field," Saber muttered as energy began to flow into his sword. **"Felling of the Sky Demon-"**

"Prepare yourself, Saber of black!" Caster roared as he blasted towards the dragon slayer with a massive release of steam, descending with the force of a meteor.

 **"BALMUNG!"** Saber roared as he swung his sword towards the attacking servant and unleashing the energy within. A glowing explosion of light exploded out of the sword, spreading outwards with the power of an A+ anti-army noble phantasm.

Caster charged directly into the blast, swinging his turbine club to counter the attack. For the moment, the two of them were evenly matched in power with neither of them giving an inch. The amount of power thrown around began to make nearby objects disintegrate from the sheer power, melting as the prana seeped into them.

Finally reaching the peak of their power, the two servants gave a roar as the explosion enveloped them both and unleashing an explosion that could be comparable to a nuclear bomb as their attacks ended in a stalemate. For all those that were watching, it was a show far more grand than anything they had ever witnessed. After all, they were mysteries from the past that had not walked the earth in centuries.

It took a few minutes for the dust to settle, but the two servants remained standing. Siegfried's skin was burnt in several places due to the searing heat from the steam, and a thin line of blood dripped down from a head wound.

Caster himself looked in slightly worse shape overall. One of his hands didn't seem operational and was laying limp on the ground connected by a few sheets of metal. The metal turbine club that he carried with him was disfigured and mangled, and his body leaked the occasional spark from time to time in the damaged parts of his body.

"It seems that you were slightly stronger," Caster rasped with slight annoyance. "If only I had been a second faster my steam would have given me enough power to trump your attack."

Saber remained silent, but knew it to be true. The only reason why he hadn't taken as much damage as Caster was because his ultimate noble phantasm was a beam. His noble phantasm was a charging attack that boosted his metal body to extreme heights through the use of steam. If he had been able to charge it a few seconds longer, then he might have had enough power to charge straight through his attack with a bit of effort.

He remained silent and prepared himself for another attack, but stopped as Caster turned around and began walking off.

"Consider yourself lucky, Dragon slayer. I see no point with continuing in my state. Be prepared for our next meeting, for I shall show you the fearsome power of steam."

With that said, Caster erupted steam from its backside and blasted off dramatically, disappearing from view as he passed the horizon and vanished into spirit form. Seeing that the battle was now over, Saber slung his sword over his shoulder and began to trudge back to the castle so he can report the incident to his master.

* * *

"Imagine my worry when I returned back to the church and couldn't find you! Especially when you didn't leave a message behind!" Sister Alma said with a cross look as she scolded the pair the second they had came back to the Church.

"Our apologies, Sister Alma. We were out doing research on the city and forgot to leave you a note in our hurry." Jeanne apologized with a sheepish smile with Naruto scratching the back of his head awkwardly, which seemed to have placated the nun somewhat as her face softened.

"I'm just glad that the two of you are safe. But to think that a tornado would touch down in the forest," Alma muttered with a concerned look. "We haven't had those in quite a long time."

"Well, lets hope it doesn't happen again." Naruto said with an awkward smile while Jeanne gave him a slightly annoyed look, knowing that her own servant was partly responsible for the commotion that had woken up the town.

"Indeed," Alma agreed. "You two must be quite tired and whatnot so why don't you go rest for a bit? I shall serve dinner after this next sermon."

"Yes, thank you Sister." Jeanne said with a thankful bow as Sister Alma headed back into the chapel, "Come on, Naruto."

"Whatever you say." Naruto shrugged as he followed the young saint back to their room. Heading to the basement and opening the wooden door, they found it in the same condition that they had left it in. Taking off his jacket and tossing it into the corner, Naruto flopped down on one of the beds and gave a small laugh.

"Today has been quite the day, right?"

"Yes, it has. To think that there would be more rogue servants," Jeanne muttered in concern before she suddenly gave Naruto an annoyed look. "I was lucky that Lancer of Red was willing to help me find you. What do you think would have happened if I was ganged up by multiple servants at once?"

"Ne, ne, Jeanne-chan," Naruto said with an apologetic look. "I got a little bit carried away, but can you blame me? I haven't had the chance to battle a demigod in quite a while and I wanted to get back into my fighting shape. Not even the dead apostle ancestors are able to give me much of a challenge anymore."

Jeanne stared at him with a curious look. "How much of the world have you seen? I cannot imagine someone like you staying put in Japan when there are other places in the world."

Naruto chuckled. "I've been everywhere, actually. Also, the Japan part is a bit of a misconception about me. The elemental nations weren't than small."

"Elemental nation?" Jeanne echoed, not familiar with the subject.

"It's what you people would call Asia back then," Naruto clarified. "The reason why I'm called the Hero of Japan is because that's the place where my home village was. Back then, the entire part of the elemental nations were unified and made up most of Asia."

"But isn't Japan an Island?" Jeanne questioned with a frown.

"Ah, it gets a little bit complicated, but there was a natural disaster that split Elemental Nations for a bit. The parts that split off became what would be known as Japan, made up of multiple pieces of other nations as they formed together," Naruto explained as he recalled the event. "The pieces that split off just so happened to be part of my old villages and several others that still worshiped me as a great hero and my legend was so strong during that era that it has managed to survive all the way to today. Of course, I still had quite a bit of influence in China, but my true center of power lies in Japan."

"Wow..." Jeanne muttered, obviously entranced by such a tale. "So that means you are the oldest deity in Japan's culture?"

Naruto laughed. "Not the oldest, no. There were several before me but they have long since passed on to a better place. As for my status upon the hierarchy, you could say that I am the oldest amongst the Shinto pantheon," He suddenly smirked as a thought came to him. "Truth be told, most of the Japanese gods were based off of several parts of my own culture. Amaterasu, Susanoo, Izanagi, most of them derived from me and my partner. So I guess you could say that I'm their father or ancestor."

"Partner?" Jenne said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, the teme is probably wandering the world somewhere," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "He's kind of a loner, but he interacts a lot with humans from time to time. I don't know what he's doing right now, though."

"So you must have seen a lot, huh? How is it like being immortal?" Jeanne asked with a curious look.

At those words, Naruto's eyes took on slightly sad look. "It's kind of mixed, actually. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's bad. I've been around for so long and have seen things that weren't meant for mortal eyes. Sometimes, the world can be a pretty depressing place whenever humans get too involved in something. Ever heard of a town called Silent Hill?"

Jeanne frowned, not receiving information about such a place. "I can't say that I have."

"Then you're lucky," Naruto said. "It wasn't an exactly happy place. It was the base for a cult that had a pretty... twisted religion. Whatever the case was, demons began showing up at the town and began to terrorize anyone who was unfortunate to get caught up in it."

"Demons?" Jeanne gasped, obviously shocked at the fact that demons were able to materialize themselves into the present day where mystery was at its lowest. She had never encountered one herself, but she was certain that the Church had at least encountered one in the past few decades.

"Yes, quite. Of course, a paranormal activity like that wouldn't pass unnoticed through the magic community. As such, the clocktower sent several combat magi to find out what was going on. However, they were killed within minutes of entering the town," Naruto winced, remembering the graphic feeding the demons had as they were attracted to the magical energy. "They were presumed dead after the clocktower received no notifications from them and decided to leave the place alone after the Church decided to intervene."

"And were they..."

"Same result. 35 combat executioners showed up at the town two days later and were mauled to death in minutes. Granted, they were able to kill one or two demons, but it didn't make much of a difference." Naruto leaned back on the bed and sighed. "Seeing as the town was too dangerous to be left alone, I simply decided to purge it of its corruption by myself. Since it was pretty much a ghost town, I flattened and purged the entire place in a single night without much effort. The cult, the town, everyone. I destroyed their very souls and threw them into nothingness. There was some unforeseen complications, but I dealt with them easily enough. You won't find it documented anywhere else other than in the Church's archives."

"Complications?" Jeanne questioned.

"Turns out there were some people that had been drawn to the town by the paranormal power. I simply saved them and wiped their memories clean of such an event so they could forget such a horrific event," He chuckled. "Those people were something... I hadn't expected them to be able to survive for that long without cracking under the pressure."

"Hell on earth, huh." Jeanne said quietly.

"Yeah. Still, it wasn't the worst thing I've seen," Naruto said with a shrug before he noticed her droopy demeanor. "Hey, don't let that story drag you down. It's just a thing of the past, forget about it." He said with a sheepish smile when he noticed that her demeanor didn't seem to be changing. "Tell you what, since we can take a small break tomorrow how about I introduce you to a friend of mine?"

Jeanne perked up a bit. "A friend?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. He's a very spiritual guy and really old, but his powerful essence allows him to linger on earth as a high class spirit long after his time. As far as I know, he simply wanders aimlessly thorough places of worship and the such, but he also tends to show up in quiet places attuned with nature. If we head to the forest tomorrow, I'm sure I can summon a part of him to meet you."

"That sounds exciting! But... who is he exactly?" Jeanne asked with a confused look.

"Ah... that's a secret, but I'm sure you and him will get along fine. Like I said, he's a very spiritual person." Naruto said as he got up and headed for the door. "Why don't you take a shower before we head for dinner, alright? You smell pretty bad."

Jeanne's cheeks puffed outwards in an annoyed pout. "That's mean... You aren't any better."

"I know, but you're a young lady, and a woman like you should at least have good hygiene for Laeticia's sake. Don't forget that it's your responsibility to take care of her body since you're basically freeloading it." Naruto said with an amused smile.

"Fine. Just save some food for me, alright? I'm sooooo hungry~!" Jeanne said as she pat her stomach for extra emphasis, causing Naruto to sigh. Sometimes, he wondered if the girl in front of him was really a saint. Her manners whenever she ate was refined, but she practically inhaled all the food that was placed in front of her. She was like a blackhole, constantly putting food away without the need to stop until she was full.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He wasn't going to deny her that. Usually the kind ones are absolutely horrifying whenever they got angry. Ever since he had accidentally ticked Hinata off once, he always made a conscious effort to be more gentlemanly whenever he was around women.

They were scary...

* * *

 **Hey guys! Got this chapter pumped out today after getting access to some wifi during a cross country road trip!**

 **Anyways, I just came here to say that chapters might come at a slightly slower pace because of some... other pastimes. I had recently got overwatch two days ago, and have constantly found myself playing it whenever I have the chance. I sometimes take a break to work on my chapters, but most of my time has gone towards the addicting game in my Xbox.**

 **So don't go scratching your heads when my updates don't come out as often. It's perfectly normal for me to get sidetracked by some other fun things, so consider it as a small break on my work.**

 **Also, as for the fact concerning Silent hill, my story will sometimes reference or have other universes and genres implanted into my story. I mean, this is a crossover after all ;).**

 **That's all I really want to say for now. See you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	15. Chapter 15 (Apocrypha)

"Ow..." Oda groaned out as her eyes fluttered open to stare at the sky above her head. The last thing she was able to remember was a pair of purple eyes before she suddenly blacked out as she was hit by some kind of unseen force. From the looks of it, the attack had shattered her reality marble and left her back in the real world and her opponent had seemingly forgotten to kill her.

She sat up and shook the dizziness from her eyes. It seems she had been knocked out for a couple hours, seeing as the sun was already close to disappearing and letting the darkness of night take its place after hours.

"Guess I got too careless." Oda muttered to herself as she stood up and looked around. First things first, she had to get out of here. The Black camp must be in a panicked frenzy after everything that had happened and would no doubt be tightening their security to make sure every inch of the grounds is clear.

"Indeed. Didn't our leaders tell you not to play around with him? You're lucky that he was distracted by the cowboy and the bull, or else you would have most likely died." A robotic voice chided from above as Caster descended down towards her gently using his steam propulsion system.

Oda puffed out her cheeks. "I admit, I might have showed off a little more than I should have, but I finally got the chance to meet one of my idols! You can't blame me for getting off track when you meet someone like him in person!"

"And did he possess power described of him in the legend?" Caster asked curiously.

"Yeah, it was incredible! I don't know how he did it, but he blew apart my reality marble with a single attack! I wouldn't have expected anything less from Japan's patron hero!" Oda said with a hint of pride for her fellow Japanese, even if she had her ass handed by him. Her face suddenly turned serious. "By the way, what happened to bill and Asterios? I recall them acting as our reserves and backup."

Caster would have palmed his face if his free hand was actually able to function. "Bill and Asterios got killed by your idol the second he destroyed your reality marble. If I recall, he crushed them both with some kind of black object that completely erased them from this world. I didn't even find any leftover prana from their bodies."

The warlords face turned a little bit sad at the news. "Poor Asterios... He never got to play with the bunnies he saw at the pet shop."

It was a well known fact amongst them that Asterios was actually quite the innocent monster. He usually spent his free time in lush places like the forest or the garden, hanging out with the wildlife and enjoying the nature that was denied from him inside the Labyrinth.

Also, he had a fondness for bunnies. Why? No one knows.

"What about the cowboy?" Caster asked, noticing that she didn't seem to acknowledge him.

"Eh, he deserved it." Oda said with a shrug, causing the mech to sigh in exasperation. From the moment they were summoned, the two of them could not get along. Constant arguments over who was the better shooter or marksman was the only thing that flew out of their mouths whenever they were near each other. They didn't outright hate each other, but they never got along at all.

"Whatever, let us hurry and get out of here while the Yggdmillenia are busy. I do not wish to get into another confrontation with a Black servant right now," Caster said logically. "And considering your state, I doubt that you're in any condition either."

"Agreed, Let's head back. I need to go and make so more preparations." Oda said in agreement.

"Good. Hop on." Caster said. Oda nodded and immediately jumped up onto Caster's shoulder, which was wide enough that she could sit on top of it easily. Making herself comfortable, Caster's mech rose slowly into the air before it blasted off towards their base of operations.

* * *

The next morning, Jeanne followed Naruto with a curious expression as they trudged through the nearby woods. After breakfast, Naruto had taken her outside to meet his mysterious friend. He never gave any indication or hints as to who it was, but it certainly had her curiosity at its peak.

There was one thing she needed to question him, though.

"Why are we in the forest?" Jeanne questioned as she hopped over a tree root.

"To meet with my friend." Naruto replied as he moved a bush out of the way.

"I mean, why here?" Jeanne said with a slightly annoyed look.

"Well, it's because he likes places like this," Naruto said obliviously, not noticing her annoyance. "He's not exactly dead, but he's not alive either. He can exist at certain places on earth, but for only a short amount of time. He's kinda like a ghost."

"A ghost?"

"Kinda," Naruto said as they happened upon a clearing that had remained untouched from the battle. "This should be good. The man loves to be in secluded areas, and this fits the bill. The recent battle should also get his attention as well."

"So how do you plan to summon him? Flare your power and hope he notices?" Jeanne asked as she swatted a mosquito that flew too close to her head.

"Nah, it doesn't have to be that big," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "He'll just come running when I say his name. Names are quite powerful, you know? Just hold on for a moment." He got down on the ground and sat in a meditative position as Jeanne gave him a questioning look as she watched him. Before she could ask him anything, he suddenly opened his eyes and yelled into the air.

"SHAKYAMUNI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

Jeanne flinched in surprise, not expecting something like that to happen. She had expected him to flare his power or use some kind of magic thingy, but he was actually shouting out this Shakyamuni guy's name out into thin air.

"Naruto..." She sighed, earning an apologetic look from the ninja.

"Sorry, but I did tell you what I was gonna do," Naruto said as he stood up and dusted off his pants. "Anyway, just sit tight for another minute or so. He'll be here in a couple seconds."

"And how do you know that?" Jeanne asked with a frown. "I know you can sense people, but the dead? Isn't that a little bit too far?"

"Actually, young lady, I am not dead."

Jeanne screamed in surprise and jumped into the air comically in response before she landed in Naruto's arms, clinging onto him as her body acted on its own. A quick second later, the air shimmered for a moment before a form appeared like a mirage sitting in a lotus position.

Her breath hitched as she looked upon him. The man was floating in the air with a serene expression on his face, with his only piece of clothing being that of a red shroud that wrapped around his body except for his right shoulder, leaving that side to expose his thin frame. As he hovered in the air, several blades of green grass formed beneath him and turned into a platform of lush overgrowth, letting him rest his body on top.

He was a holy man, that was something she could definitely conclude. There was not a single imperfection on him, not even the familiar form of sin that has clouded mankind since the beginning of time. His being shined with holiness and grace, making it extremely hard for her to immediately get down on her knees and bow before him.

For a moment, nobody moved from their spot before the man suddenly spoke once again.

"Young maiden, it is quite rude of you to stare." The man said with a serene tone devoid of any malice or hurt, but it definitely sounded like a father scolding his son for doing something wrong.

"A-ah! S-sorry!" Jeanne apologized nervously as she dislodged herself from Naruto's arms with a slight blush on her face, much to Naruto's amusement before he turned to the unknown man.

"Hello there, Snakyamuni, it has been too long." Naruto greeted with a small bow, earning one from the man in response.

"Indeed it has, Maelstrom," The man said in agreement before he gestured to Jeanne. "If I may inquire, who is this fair maiden? A servant I may guess, but I do not know her real identity."

"Oh, she's Jeanne d'Arc." Naruto supplied with a wave of his hand, earning an incredulous look at how casually he just revealed that.

"Naruto!" She complained with a cute pout, causing Naruto to chuckle once again and the strange man to smile just a little bit.

"A fair maiden of purity who believes in God, no wonder you have this certain aura of pureness that surrounds you," The man said as he stared at her. "I must admit, the teachings of Christianity have worked well with you. Understandable, since they go hand in hand with several of my beliefs."

"Er," Jeanne gave him an uncomfortable look at the mention of her religion. "Who... exactly are you?"

At those words, the man seemed to straighten up slightly in surprise with a slight amount of embarrassment. "Ah, yes. How rude of me. It has been quite some time since I have ever interacted in social society. Please forgive this old man."

Relaxing himself, the man introduced himself. "My name is Shakyamuni, the man who would become the Buddha."

Jeanne's eyes widened in shock. "Buddha? From Buddhism?"

"Well, I believe that's what most of the world associates me with." Buddha said with an amused smile.

"Then... how do you two know each other? Weren't the two of you born in two different countries at two different times?" Jeanne asked with confusion. Hearing the title of Buddha, she had pulled information from the grail and found out that the man who would become a messiah-like figure was born somewhere in between China and India at a place that would now be called Nepal.

"We met each other purely by chance," Naruto said. "The buddha is a little bit younger than me, but he has become immortal through his practice and has been released from suffering and pain while he was alive. Due to this, he constantly traveled across the world and we just so happened to meet."

"Indeed. It has been quite some time since our last meeting," Buddha said with a nod. "Might I ask, why have you summoned me? I do not see any reason for you to."

"Well, partly because I wanted you to meet, and it's also to ask a question." Naruto said as he leaned forward with a serious look. "Tell me... what do you know of the Grail?"

Jeanne immediately perked up to listen, while the normally serene man's face turned sour. "What is there to tell? It's a horrible device, one that may spell the end of this world."

Jeanne's perkiness immediately turned to surprise. "What are you saying, sir?"

"Do not be fooled by its name, Catholic," Buddha said with a sigh. "It may have once been a holy artifact, but it no longer is. It is a horrid, putrid, despicable machine that has an evil of godly proportions slumbering deeply inside."

"So you sensed it too, huh?" Naruto muttered, causing Jeanne to turn on him with a cross look.

"Hold up! You knew about this too, and didn't even think to tell me when we got back?!" Jeanne asked with a point of her finger, causing Naruto to sweat as he felt the heat of her stare burn into his face.

"To be fair, it sort of skipped my mind while I was busy fighting a king and breaking out of a reality marble. Besides, last night wasn't the most appropriate times for us to be discussing something like that." He gestured to Buddha. "Which is why I decided to summon him here. This man has existed in many places at once and practically knows everything there is to know about this world. If someone was able to understand and explain this to us, it would be him."

"You flatter me, Naruto." Buddha said with a smile. "Yes, I do have information concerning the Grail during my time throughout the years. The amount of evil and hatred that has been centered around that particular object is quite hard to miss."

"Evil? How can something like that be evil? It may not be the true holy cup, but such a thing wouldn't call us into this world if it wasn't capable of granting wishes!" Jeanne said, obviously trying to comprehend what she had just heard.

"You naive girl, an omnipotent wish granting device is a power that should not exist in this world. Legendary gods of the past don't even have the power to do something like that, not even people like me or Naruto are able to. People are only convinced of such an artifact because of the abominable ritual." Buddha said with a displeased look on his face. "Bringing a powerful spirit back to life is a feat that can be compared to the gods. Summoning a small portion of someone, however, is much easier."

"The servant summoning ritual..." Jeanne muttered, realizing what he was talking about. All of the heroic spirits that were taking part of the war were not exactly the true heroic spirit. Using an advanced ritual by the three founders, they managed to tap into the throne of heroes, a place that held the records to every single heroic spirit in existence. However, summoning a true heroic spirit back into the real world would require prana upkeep that would run the grail DRY with seven heroic spirits. As such, they only used copies to severely lower the cost and keep the Grail from running out.

Once a heroic spirit was killed during the war, their soul would be absorbed into the grail and used as fuel to power it into a wish granting device. Once the heroic spirits had been sacrificed, the winner would be able to make a wish upon the Grail.

However, that didn't make any sense. The man had said that primordial gods like him and Naruto weren't able to grant omnipotent wishes either. Seeing as how Naruto possessed energy that was close to infinite, and the Buddha himself was said to be able to rule a galaxy, how can a cup powered by several heroic spirits even compare?

"It seems you are starting to understand..." Buddha said with a sad nod. "The Grail is not an omnipotent wish granting device. Rather, it was a device created to pierce an opening straight to the Root, the greatest amount of knowledge that all magi strive to reach." He shook his head sadly. "How foolish. Playing with lives that deserve to stay in nirvana to reach such a place is despicable. It seems that most of mankind haven't been able to reach enlightenment like I had wished for."

"I highly doubt they ever will." Naruto said with a solemn look. "Civilization has changed quite a lot since our time."

"But... what is this so-called evil that lurks within the grail?" Jeanne asked, determined to figure out the truth.

"An evil so repulsive that it represents every single sin that humanity can possibly do." Buddha said seriously. Even at his tone, plants wilted and died under the heaviness in the air. "It is Angra Maninyu, a being of evil from Persia that has names of all sins grafted onto its body. It was summoned during the third holy grail war and has since dwelled inside of the grail after it was slain, merging and corrupting the cup as it absorbed his essence."

"How do you know this?" Jeanne asked with a frown.

"I sensed the summoning of evil from my place in Nirvana, and it brought my attention down to earth." Buddha answered serenely. "I do not remember much after that, as I have forgotten most of the events after the monster had been slain, but there is one other person who you could ask."

"And who, holy Buddha, is that?" Naruto asked with respect.

"Ask the priest of the Red camp. He shall have the answers that you seek." Buddha said as an image of a young teen male with white hair and priest garbs appeared in front of him.

"The mediator?" Jeanne muttered as she stared at the teen's face. He was young, but there was something strange about him that set her on edge.

"Yes, the person who you call the mediator, will answer all of your questions." The man nodded as he waved his hand, and the image disappeared. "Is there anything else that you would like to ask of me?"

"No, that will be all. Thanks." Naruto said with a nod.

"Then I must be off. Gaia will most certainly not be happy with me exceeding my time here." The man said with a chuckle as the vines disappeared and he hovered into the hair. "And young lady..."

"Yes?" Jeanne asked, slightly flinching under the surprising attention.

"Prepare yourself for what is to come. I sense that there are unknown pieces not sent into motion yet. Be wary." Buddha warned.

"Of course, thank you, lord Buddha." Jeanne said with a bow, earning a small smile from the man.

"It seems that you found yourself a wise partner, Naruto. Truly, she is unlike any other human being that I have seen."

"I know, she is my master, after all." Naruto said with a chuckle, making her blush under the attention.

"Until the time for salvation comes... be prepared, Heroes." Buddha bid farewell as he rose up into the air, glowing with an ethereal light that radiated holiness, before disappeared into the air in a flash that made them shut their eyes in response.

"He's gone..." Jeanne muttered as she stared at the spot he had disappeared from.

"He probably went back to Nirvana." Naruto said with a shrug as he faced her. "Anyway, now that you know of this priest... what are we going to do?"

Jeanne remained quiet for a moment before she spoke once again.

"We must find him quickly."

* * *

"We have lost a valuable asset." Waver muttered as he recounted the deaths of Berserker of Red and Archer of Red. While Berserker certainly was a powerful servant, most berserkers tended to die early and were too hard to control. He was more of a deadweight instead of an asset.

Archer, however, was someone that couldn't be replaced. His sheer power and abilities were the best of the best, giving them a practical guarantee of victory with how strong his noble phantasms were. They still had Achilles, Mordred, Alexander, Assassin, and Shakespear, who was not even any use to them at all.

That left simply four of them left to oppose to black faction. Still, he remained confident that they had victory in the bag. There may be fewer of them, but these heroic spirits were the best of the best. What they lack in numbers, they will make up for in skill.

Quantity over quality, after all.

"Archer was a fool for challenging Ruler's servant." Reines muttered as she took a sip from her tea cup. Ever since Lancer came back with numerous scratches and bumps due to being sent flying through trees at the speed of a bullet, she had been in a foul mood as of late.

"Yes, of course he was." Waver muttered as he grabbed another bottle of ale. "But he was powerful. We have this war in the bag with him on our side, but it seems he has to screw everything up for us even in death."

"Well, we can only hope that goldie didn't die with regrets!" Rider said optimistically as he chugged down another bottle. "As long as he doesn't die with regrets, everything should be fine! You should cut him some slack anyway, he was obviously excited that he could get the chance to kill a god, and completely got wrecked while trying to do so! The best he could do was die without any regrets and go back to the throne a happy man!"

"I highly doubt he's happy." Reines said with a roll of her eyes.

"He's probably cursing his head off in the throne of heroes." Waver said with a chuckle while his finger twitched. God he really wanted a smoke right now, but Reines hated it when he smoked in front of her, and he made it a personal promise to not smoke in front of her face.

"Be that as it may, we have to come up with another form of strategy for the future. Damn it all... I had a plan incase a servant were to fall, but I didn't account for Archer! Now I have to change it up again..." Waver muttered in disappointment while Rider roared with laughter and smacked him on the back, nearly sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"Coming up with a backup plan is the sign of a great general! However, it seems your failure to account for the loss of Archer puts you on mediocre at best! A great general must plan for every situation!" Rider lectured with a smug grin while Waver groaned on the floor and Reines giggled in amusement. She had heard stories about Alexander from Waver, but had simply blown them off as him having simply blown them out of proportions. After all, what kind of military commander would act like that?

Apparently, he really wasn't lying.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Shirou kotomine strolled in, gathering everyones attention with his mere presence. Waver immediately stood up and coughed into his hand in embarrassment, but Shirou didn't seem to notice, smiling like a little kid on christmas.

"Sorry for barging in on your little session like this, but I have some good news for you!" Shirou said with a chipper tone that matched his smile, catching everyone's curiosity.

"What is it, Shirou?" Waver asked suspiciously. "It's rare to see you get so worked up."

"Assassin has just finished the construction of her noble phantasm." Shirou answered, causing their eyes to widen. "If you wish to follow me, she will show us a small demonstration of what it's capable of."

"hoh! Now you have peaked my curiosity! I wish to see what the queen has in store for us!" Rider exclaimed with a grin as he stood up and followed after Shirou with the two masters following behind with a tired sigh. They followed shirou into the basement where Assassin usually spent most of her time at in private. As far as anybody knew, nobody had actually managed to sneak down there without getting caught by the scary queen.

Assassin stood proudly in the middle of the basement where a green gem on a pedestal was resting. When she saw all of them approaching she gave each of them a pompous smile that smelled of excitement that was getting a chance to show off.

"Hello, my liege. Are you ready for me to release my noble phantasm?" Assassin asked with an endearing smile.

Shirou smirked. "Of course. It's not very often I get to see something like this."

"I'm very interested to see what Ruler of Babylon can do!" Rider exclaimed with an excited expression while Waver just grunted beside him.

"Hold up! Where are the others at? Aren't they supposed to be here?" Reines asked as she looked around and noticed that the rest of the camp wasn't present for this little meeting.

Assassin's face soured. "They didn't wish to join me. A shame, they will simply have to deal with the surprise outside the safety of the chamber." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, not my problem. Now then... pay close attention as I show you the true power of queen Semiramis of Babylon!"

She touched the gem in the middle and it glowed green as a sign of activation. Seconds later, there was a sound that resembled a girlish scream come from outside of the room, grabbing everyones expression while Assassin smirked.

"Go ahead and look outside."

Rushing outside, everyone's eyes widened as they saw the city of Trifas below them as they floated high in the air on a flying machine of babylonian design that would have made Gilgamesh pause to admire such beauty.

"Do you enjoy it? It's not exactly something I made while I was alive, but it seems the people of today have gotten quite confused about it." Assassin said with a chuckle as she joined them. "This is the hanging garden of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world. A floating fortress made with the role of offensive attack."

"Magnificent! Babylon had weapons like these! This would make a fine addition to my army!" Rider howled with laughter as he stared at the city below. Before anyone could berate him for being too loud, however, a panicked yell caught their attention.

"Saber! Pull me up!" Kairi screamed the petite woman as he dangled over the edge of the island, earning a sigh from the girl as she held onto his arm easily.

Everyone deadpanned in exasperation while Kairi continued to scream like a little girl. Instead of helping him, however, they just continued to stare in wonder at the city below.

Now their resident necromancer knew exactly what their green haired lancer felt like.


	16. Chapter 16 (Apocrypha)

"So how do you feel, Berserker?" Caster asked as the mad servant sat up from the table that she had been laying on for the past few hours.

"Uuu."

Berserker made a groan as she stretched her limbs, feeling them move once again with a satisfying stretch. Since Caster prided herself on being a professional magus, she had spent several hours working on her body, constantly making changes and modifications whenever she found it unsatisfactory.

She would have complained if she could, but she didn't want to be rude to the nice lady. She was a lot nicer than her original creator, anyway.

"No abnormalities? No pain or discomfort?" Caster prodded on like a doctor, scribbling random words that she couldn't understand on her clipboard.

"Guu."

"That's good. It's a step towards scientific success!"

Having spent much of her time alone with the quiet servant, Caster had been able to soon understand the moans and grunts that came out of Frankie's mouth. 'Guu' usually meant no, and 'Uuu' usually meant yes, or good.

"Now then, we must quickly begin testing your noble phantasm at once," Caster said as she pushed open a door leading into a vacant courtyard. "Lord Darnic wants me to boost our defenses as quick as possible, so we better hurry!"

Frankie nodded in agreement as she began to follow the energetic Caster, flipping the nearby light switch on her way out to save energy.

The courtyard had originally been quite vacant of anything other than a few trees, but Caster had ran out of room to store most of her experiments. As such, the grounds were littered with golems, mystic codes, and magical generators that powered most of the magical defenses protecting the castle.

Humming a tune to herself, Caster grabbed a nearby golem that had half of its arm missing, and propped it up in the middle of the courtyard.

"There we go. That should be a suitable test subject." Caster said with a nod of approval. "Now then, you see that mechanical devices strapped to your waist?"

Berserker looked down to see a metal object that had been strapped to her waist. It glowed faintly with electricity and seemed grafted to her skin.

"Uuu."

"Great! Make sure to take good care of it, it'll assist you in the release of your noble phantasm." Caster instructed as she stared proudly at the invention. "Now, seeing as your body normally couldn't withstand the amount of voltage that your noble phantasm shoots out at once, I have created that device to be used as a conduit instead!"

Berserker tilted her head in confusion while Caster continued on, completely oblivious to Frankie's own obliviousness.

"The device is magically enhanced to hold electricity that would normally kill you. I've also gone through the process of adding some new changes to your arms and legs." Caster said.

Looking at her arms and legs, berserker's eyes widened when she realized that an extra plating of yellow armor had been placed on those areas. Like the object on her side, they seemed to be quite similar.

"Those pieces of armor will basically do the same thing. Instead of using your body as a conduit for electricity, those pieces of armor will do so for you! It basically halves the electricity that your body releases, and utilizes it themselves! Now you won't have to worry about overloading yourself! They're also able to absorb electricity so you won't be in any danger of getting shocked!"

"Uuu." Frankie muttered as she grasped what she was saying... Sort of. Basically, the armor would take care of the burden on her body, and allow her to utilize her noble phantasm at full power without the risk of death. Pretty much all there was to it.

"You don't have to worry too much about them during battle. I've enhanced them to the level of C ranked armor, so there shouldn't be too many problems. If they get damaged, though, make sure to see me first, got it?" Caster said with a big sister look that was really odd coming from her. Especially since Berserker towered over her by a full head.

"Uuu."

"Now then, please release your noble phantasm! Should any accidents happen, I shall swiftly intervene on your behalf." Caster promised as she activated the golem and ordered it to stand still in idle preparation for its destruction.

Frankie nodded and closed her eyes in preparation. Planting her Bridal Chest into the ground, she felt electricity swell up around her as her body's limiters are released for maximum potential. Normally, the stress this would place on her body would cause her to shutdown and overload, but she could feel the energy leaving her body and into the mechanical armor that had been placed on her. There was still some stress there, but it was still far less than what she should have originally been feeling.

Caster backed off slightly as she felt a light current shock her a bit. There was so much electricity in the air that a mini-cyclone was starting to form with Berserker herself at the epicenter of it. Even the clouds overhead seem to flock above their location as they were attracted to energy that Berserker was omitting.

When Berserker released that energy, it simply looked like the earth and the Golem had disappeared instantly in a flash.

A second later, the crack of thunder reached her ears and she could feel them ringing as they processed the sound.

Her mouth hung open as she stared at the calamity in front of her. It was nothing like a bomb that had been dropped from altitude, but rather like the entire area had been vaporized down to the cellular level, not leaving anything left to show what had happened other than the ground being slightly burnt.

Taking her Bridal Chest out of the ground, Berserker stared at Caster as she awaited her thoughts on the shocking amount of power that she had just been able to release. When she didn't respond for several moments, Berserker was starting to get slightly worried until Caster broke out into a happy grin.

"Excellent! That was absolutely incredible! That was nearly on the level of a 'quasi-like space-time dislocation'! I have never seen such a spectacular use of electricity before! Well, it wasn't really given to the public during my time, but still!" Caster bubbled with excitement as she danced around the destruction in a happy manner. "With this, we have surely gained an edge against the red camp!"

"Uuu"

"Yes, yes, I'm proud of you too, Frankie." Caster said with a smile as she stood on her tiptoes and gave the advanced homunculus a pat on the head, causing the girl's face to turn slightly red from act of kindness she had been given.

If only her original creator had been like this...

"What is going on?"

Caster and Berserker jumped in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. Turning around, they both found Siegfried standing by the door with a curious look on his face as he surveyed the smoldering crater that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the courtyard.

"Saber?" Caster blinked in surprise. "You can talk?"

Saber's eyes twinkled in amusement. "As of now, yes. Due to the revelation of my identity from the rogue servant, my Master has no longer seen any need to keep me from speaking. As such, I decided to go and speak to my fellow servants."

"That's obviously nice of you and all, but aren't you usually busy doing jobs for Mr. Gordes?" Caster asked with a curious look. Every single time she had seen Saber around the castle, he was usually delivering errands while his master worked on Homunculi in his chambers.

"I do not have anything at this time." Saber said with a small smile before he frowned as a familiar voice popped into his head.

 _"Saber, come to me posthaste! We have need of your assistance!"_ Gordes' voice popped into his head through their connection. Sighing, Saber decided to go see what his master wanted. After all, he usually gets very cranky whenever he doesn't arrive on time.

"Never mind, it seems that I must go." Saber said with an apologetic smile. "Well, let's talk later, shall we?"

"Yes, of course." Caster agreed with a smile while Berserker gave him a friendly wave as he disappeared into spirit form.

* * *

"What do you suppose we do?" Gordes asked the Magus Killer as they stared at the conundrum in front of them.

"I do not know." Kiritsugu answered truthfully, looking equally perplexed and confused at the situation. Standing in front of them was their residential Rider over a downed homunculus with a determined look on his face. The homunculus that was on the ground just so happened to be one of the several created as a prana conduit for the servants, allowing the Masters to act at full capacity without having to give more than the bare minimal energy to the servants to operate.

Through sheer will and some kind of miracle, one of the Homunculi managed to somehow break out of the glass capsule that he was stored inside by using some kind of destructive magecraft to blow apart the glass.

Due to the Homunculu's purpose of a living battery, he was practically a newborn baby and couldn't really get anywhere due to his undeveloped organs and body. Luckily for him, he just so happened to run into rider, who decided to help him make it out of the castle.

Rushing to intercept them, Kiritsugu and Gordes soon found themselves stuck trying to figure out how to get Rider off of the Homunculi.

"Why don't you two just leave him alone? I'm not leaving him!" Rider declared stubbornly as he stared at the two adults.

"Look, Astolfo, Vlad isn't going to be happy about you causing a scene like this, and we're already out of Asprin as it is." Kiritsugu said, trying to placate the paladin.

"I don't care! I keep telling you, I'm not letting the old man have him!"

"Old man?!" Gordes fumed, annoyed at being called old. He wasn't old, damn it! He was at least middle age! True, he was developing some wrinkles, but it was only natural due to the stressful nature of his work!

He was about to just rush in their an pummel the paladin, heroic spirit or not, when Siegfried suddenly appeared out of spirit form. Immediately, Gordes completely forgot about being angry and was relieved that his servant could deal with this mess instead of him.

"I have arrived, Master." Saber announced. "What is the problem?"

"It is good to see you have responded, Saber." Gordes said with a pleased expression. "As for our problem..."

"We just can't seem to convince Rider to move from the Homunculus." Kiritsugu cut in. "The homunculus is defective and we were charged to correct this as quickly as possible."

"I see..." Saber muttered as he stared at Rider and the downed homunculus, making the paladin tense in preparation.

"If you choose to take the Homunculus, Saber, I won't let that happen. Even if all of us have been summoned once again for the sake of a wish, we are still heroes at heart! Would you go against your morales for the sake of your own wish?" Rider asked as he drew his sword, causing Kiritsugu and Gordes to back away in alarm and Saber to just stare at him with a blank stare.

"The thing looks like he can barely walk far. Even if he somehow gets out of here, where will he go? Homunculi don't live long, you know." Saber pointed out, but Rider's defiant expression didn't drop for even a second.

"So? That's better than letting him get waste away in a tube after gaining sentient thought." Rider argued.

Saber stared at him for a moment as a thought crossed his head. Turning to his master, he decided to voice his inner thoughts.

"Master... Would he still be suitable as a prana battery?"

Gordes paused for a moment as he felt all eyes on him. Letting his eyes wander over the battered form of the Homunculi and study his physique and magical energy from a single glance, he soon let out a tired sigh.

"No, not really." Gordes admitted. "It just won't be the same now that he has escaped. Of course, we could cram him back into the tube, but the quality won't be as good since he has damaged his body this much. Honestly, he wasn't even created to do anything a newborn baby can do! How he managed to break out of the chamber is beyond me."

"Perhaps it's because you accidentally left some kind of program inside of him." Kiritsugu suggested, causing the professional alchemist to give him a glare. "What? The Einzbern were better. I've never heard a single instance of any of their homunculi disobeying them."

"So it seems the rumors were true... you do have connections to the Einzberns." Gordes muttered with an annoyed sigh. "It is no matter. The house of Musik will surpass them soon enough with the help of the Yggdmillenia!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kiritsugu said with a wave of his hand before he turned to the pink paladin. "You hear that, pinkie? We have no reason to harm the kid, so can you stop glaring at us?"

"Be that as it may, I won't leave his side for a second. I don't know if you're lying or not." Rider said distrustfully, causing Kiritsugu to face palm in annoyance.

"Look, kid, just take the boy to Caster. She'll patch him up when she has the chance."

"Why should I believe you?" Astolfo asked as he crossed his arms, causing Kiritsugu to smirk as a monotone voice spoke from behind the paladin.

"Got it, daddy."

Spinning around in surprise, Astolfo could only watch in horror as Assassin carried the unconscious homunculus down the hallway towards Caster's room at full sprint. Without even turning around to yell at the smug magi, Rider already began to give chase after Assassin while she giggled like a toddler.

"Saber, chase after them and make sure Rider doesn't do anything stupid again. I am going to go for a lie down." Gordes ordered as he swept out of the hallway dramatically, leaving Kiritsugu and Saber alone together.

"How do you deal with someone like him?" Kiritsugu asked, making a small smile appear on the dragon slayer's face.

"It's actually very easy, really." Saber said as he disappeared down the hallway, leaving the magus killer with a confused look on his face.

* * *

"What does Mr. Buddha mean by asking the priest?" Jeanne asked as she and Naruto walked through the streets of Trifas.

"Who knows? We've never met him, so we can't just ignore my friend's warning." Naruto said with a shrug. "He's very cryptic and smart, but he never makes it his goal to involve himself with humanity too much. After all, even he doesn't have the right to just do whatever he wants with humanity."

"But aren't you basically doing that?" Jeanne asked with a tilt of her head, making Naruto chuckle.

"Not really. I have the authority to do many things in this world, but I have to constantly put limits on myself. For example: I have the power to bring the dead back to life, but I can't just go around and revolve every single dead person I see. Immortals like me have to play by certain rules to keep Gaia happy."

"And if she's not happy?"

"Last time she got angry resulted in Pompeii." Naruto said with a small chuckle as he saw the saint's expression. "Don't be surprised, Gaia is the entire earth after all. Whenever she gets angry, volcanos tend to erupt. Just be glad that she usually remains asleep half of the time."

"So... She basically causes massive global warming whenever she wakes up?" Jeanne asked with a curious expression as she thought about such things.

"Pretty much, yeah." Naruto said with a sigh. "Those mortals and their global warming... bah! As if they could ever come up with something as stupid as that."

"It's not like everyone knows about magic, Naruto." Jeanne scolded with a cross look.

"Sorry, sorry." Naruto grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. "So what should we do when we get their? If this priest is a suspect, we can't just walk in there and ask him with all of them around. Without proof, they won't believe us."

"I'm still having a hard time believing it myself." Jeanne admitted with a downtrodden look. "I just find it hard to believe that a person handpicked by the church could potentially be linked to all of these anomalies that have been plaguing this war."

"The church has changed quite a bit since your time." Naruto said with a shrug. "It's not like the crusades, but it's an organization with many holes in em. Several of the churches sections have gone so far off the deep end that the Pope has lost any form of control over them."

"Blasphemous..." Jeanne muttered in disappointment. To hear that the house of God has been tainted with people who commit such atrocities would do so in the name of their lord. Granted, people had a different view on worship, but it should be clear cut on where to draw the line.

"Indeed. To be fair, the most heretical group of the Church were created a really long time ago. Perhaps a little bit after you died, I think. The rest of the sections aren't too bad and are mostly dedicated to historical artifacts and maintaining holy grounds across the world. Those are the ones that the Pope has any control of."

"And the heretical section?"

"The magi community calls them the Executioners, or the members of the Burial Agency. Those that undertake rigorous training and earn the title of Executioners are known as first-rate murderers who are sent upon people that the Burial Agency find as heretics. They can be either vampires, demons, or other humans, and they will still kill them without hesitation."

"How does the pope not have any hold over these people?" Jeanne asked with a frown, making Naruto sigh.

"It's best not to think of them as part of the Church. Most of their members aren't even catholic, leading others to simply turn their back on them as one of the most heretical sections in the church. In truth, they're more like a separate organization entirely where the Pope has no jurisdiction." He paused for a moment before smiling. "But enough about that. Let's talk about more happy stuff. Seeing you look depressed like that isn't doing wonders for my health, you know."

Jeanne giggled. "You're such a gentleman. Were you always like this?"

"No, not really. I was quite the brat when I was younger, always looking for attention." Naruto said with a nostalgic laugh as he remembered his childhood days that have long since passed. "What was your childhood like?"

"Hm? Well, it's not like it was anything interesting, really." Jeanne said with a sheepish look.

"Nonsense! Heroes come from strange places all the time! You don't have to be so shy about it!" Naruto prodded on with a smile.

"Well... I wasn't really much different from a normal girl my age. My family and friends were usually working in the fields as farmers and ranchers. As such, I usually spent most of my time taking care of the animals and helping my mother on the farm." Her nostalgic look suddenly turned quite embarrassed. "Also, it may sound strange, but I never really learned how to read much when I was a young girl."

Naruto blinked. "Wait... you couldn't read?" He had heard of being unable to talk and see, but unable to read?

"Embarrassing, yes?" Jeanne said with a small chuckle. "Of course, my mother always read to me verses from the Bible, so I was content with it. It's probably thanks to my mother that I encountered God in my life."

"So she's what made you decide to go and join the war effort?" Naruto asked with a curious look.

"Partly, but it all came to me after I received a vision of God. It was a vision that moved my heart so much that I was convinced joining the war effort was my calling. To soothe the cries of my lord, I devoted myself prominently to the French cause and to end this war as quickly as I could. I succeeded, of course, but it all came at a price." Jeanne said with a bitter smile. "It was all inevitable, I suppose, but it was a fate I gladly accepted."

"You are quite wise. To live with regrets is something that would destroy a normal human being. No matter the outcome, you should die knowing you did everything you could." Naruto said sagely as he remembered some of the people he hadn't been able to save. For all of the people he had changed and saved throughout his life, there were some who were just too stubborn.

"Ah... I wouldn't exactly call myself wise." Jeanne said with an embarrassed smile. "You are most certainly wiser than I am."

"Ha! That may be true, but you are far more mature than I ever was when I was your age." He gestured to himself. "Ever since I gained my immortality, my body has reverted to that of my 21 year old body, grounding it to a halt. So you could say that I am over a thousand years old, but my mentality hasn't changed a single bit."

"I can certainly see that." Jeanne said with a joking smile, causing Naruto to smirk in amusement, happy to see that he had been able to cheer her up. Continuing on with high spirits, the two of them headed towards the red camp's base of operations.

* * *

"It seems that Ruler and her Servant are making their way towards our location." Assassin commented as she watched the young saint and her servant interact with each other through a crystal ball.

Shirou bit his lip and looked up from the bible. "It seems that they have gotten suspicious and have come here to investigate. I fear this would have happened sooner or later."

"What do you suggest we do? Sending out any of our servants to confront them will only result in unwanted attention from our... comrades. If that happens, it'll most definitely draw their attention to you."

"It does not matter any longer." Shirou said as he stood up and walked over to peer into the crystal ball. "Now that your noble phantasm is created, we have the power to wipe out the entirety of the Grail war combatants in a single day. The biggest threat to our plans, however, is Ruler's servant."

"Indeed, he will be our most powerful challenge to acquire the grail." Assassin said in agreement. "All of our servants will have to be directed towards him if we have the slightest chance of taking him down."

"Correct. We shall have to unleash our most powerful servant if we are to stand a chance." He stood up and began walking towards the door. "Contact the man of the mountain. Tell him we finally found a person for him to kill. I will personally make sure that our forces are positioned nearby."

"And if he disobeys us? You know that he hates us even more than the mad dog. The first Man of the Mountain is a heroic spirit that abides by his personal code, you know." Assassin said with a tense look normally not found on her.

"I'll issue several command spells on him." Shirou replied, pulling up his sleeve to show the numerous command seals that ran up his arms. "The first one will to not strike against our allies. The second is to kill himself when the job is done. And the third..."

He smirked and pulled his sleeve down.

"...Is to kill Naruto Uzumaki using any means necessary."


	17. Chapter 17 (Apocrypha)

"What in the world happened here?!" Jeanne gaped in surprise as she looked towards the sky above her.

She had never gotten the location of the Red camp from its members, so she had decided to simply track them by sensing where the biggest group of servants in the area were gathered. What she hadn't been expecting, however, was the massive fortress that loomed overhead and the gaping crater that had opened up in the earth.

It was a magnificent city of overwhelming beauty. Unlike the buildings of her time, these looked to be of much older origin, but lacked the texture and age that would come from such an old city. Rather, it seemed like it had been built using nothing but earthly materials alone.

But it still excluded a tremendous aura that was unmistakable to any magus or servant who gazed upon it.

"This... is a noble phantasm?" Jeanne muttered as she stared at the fortress in wonderment. "How can something as powerful as this be hidden from my sight?"

"I assume the wielder of the phantasm had only activated it just a few hours ago. And judging by the fresh looking materials, it seemed to have been built using magecraft to ascend it to the level of a noble phantasm." Naruto said as he observed the island. "To think that someone would have something like this as a noble phantasm! I haven't seen a floating island since I was a young boy!"

"You can show the creator your admiration later." Jeanne chided. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

"That's easy. We just jump!" Naruto said with a grin, causing the young saint to turn ghostly pale.

"N-naruto, you know that you're the only one who can possibly make that jump, right?" Jeanne asked, slightly scooting away from his fellow blonde who was frowning in confusion. "I'll have to find another way to get up there since I can't fly."

"Eh? But there isn't any other way up there." Naruto said with a stare. "If you're worried about not making the jump, don't worry! I'll be the one doing all the work."

"That's exactly what I'm so afraid of..." Jeanne muttered as she remembered the last few times she had let Naruto carry her anywhere. Sure he was fast, but he was a little bit too fast for her tastes. Imagine exploding from zero to a hundred in the span of a millisecond.

If you do, you can imagine just a tiny bit of what her stomach felt like when he carried her.

"Jeanne, don't be such a baby. Last time, I was running across the land. This time, I'll be jumping upwards. It'll be less stressful on your body, and much more comfortable." Naruto said with an amused smirk at his master's fears.

"That still doesn't change the fact that I'll feel sick afterwards!" Jeanne argued with a cross of her arms. "I know that you think there is no other way, but there must be! There is always another way for someone willing to-"

"Ara ara, Jeanne. Enough of the Chitchat. The thing looks like it's about to move any minute now." Naruto cut in. Quickly sweeping Jeanne off her feet and carrying her in his arms before she could finish her sentence, he pushed chakra to his legs and exploded upwards like a missile, cracking the pavement underneath him.

Jeanne's speech suddenly switched from serious, to complete and utter terror. Letting out a loose scream of terror while Naruto just roared with laughter, Jeanne clung to Naruto's shirt for dear life as they flew upwards, all trace of her normal cool composure gone.

It would have taken a plane several minutes to make the trip directly upwards. Naruto, however, made it in only several quick seconds, much to Jeanne's relief. At least she wouldn't have to deal with a really sick stomach.

Hitting the pavement of the island feet first, he could feel the entire floating fortress shudder and groan at the sudden explosion of force that Naruto had delivered the second his feet touched the pavement full force.

"Is it over?" Jeanne muttered, eyes shut tight as she clung to Naruto's shirt. Looking around, Naruto couldn't sense the presence of any familiars or clairvoyance magecraft, finding it kind of creepy that the beautiful buildings that make up the fortress were empty and devoid of life.

Looking around once again to be double sure of his surrounds, Naruto nodded in content and lowered Jeanne gently on her feet.

"No one is around. I can't sense any familiars or any other sort of surveillance around the area. However, it is only safe to assume that the owner of this noble phantasm has already been informed of our arrival the second we touched down on its soil." Naruto said as his old shinobi instincts kicked in. "We should probably stick to the shadows until we locate the priest."

"Agreed." Jeanne said with a nod as she took several wobbly steps around to steady herself. "Just remember that we're not supposed to be killing the priest. It would be best if we simply called him out and interrogated him on it, preferably in front of everyone else to see if the others are in league with him as well."

"Of course. Innocent until proven guilty like usual." Naruto said with a small smile as he began walking off. "Let's go ahead and figure out where the rest of them are at. My little impact may have shaken them up a little, so make sure you stick close to me. I wouldn't want to be separated from you if you were attacked by the other Red servants by mistake."

"Got it."

The two of them continued on their way, sticking to the shadows and keeping themselves mostly out of sight. He had been expecting more trouble from Jeanne due to the fact that sneaking around isn't the style of a knight, but she seemed to be keeping up just fine.

The last time he had been in a flying fortress, most of the activity happened at the heart of the base. Due to the sheer size of the place, most of it probably wasn't even going to be used. As such, the center would be the meeting place between servants and masters.

Still, it was odd for the remote places to not be monitored and stationed with sentries. Perhaps they hadn't been expecting anyone to get up here without them noticing, but it showed that the person who built this place was completely confident in their own abilities to deal with any threat.

"I sense the presence of the Red servants up ahead." Jeanne announced quietly. Casting his own senses outwards, Naruto could indeed confirm that the entirety of the Red Faction seemed to be gathered together in one room, possibly having a strategic meeting to figure out what they were going to do now.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled with a small groan for a moment before they suddenly found a small shift in their feet.

"It seems they're beginning to move." Naruto said. "I assume they're planning to settle this Grail War quickly as possible."

"The Black Camp won't last long against a fortress like this." Jeanne said with a small amount of concern. She didn't see anything that could be considered a turret or cannon while they went through here, but it was only safe to assume that the fortress possessed some kind of offensive force that complimented its large size. "We must question the priest as quickly as possible before they get their hands on the Grail."

"Right. Let's get moving then." Naruto said as they continued moving forward. As they neared the location on where the servants were at, they came upon a large ornate door with some kind of writing on it in a language he didn't know.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jeanne said with a nod.

"Alright then." Naruto said as he turned towards the door. Raising his foot and channeling chakra, he launched a kick towards the door, smashing it to pieces effortlessly. Stepping inside, he was greeted with the shocked looks of several servants and masters.

Looking around, his eyes landed on a young boy in priestly garbs and a calm look on his face. By his side was a beautiful woman dressed in black who was eyeing him with wariness.

He had to compliment them for not running away immediately upon seeing who he was. Running after people was such a pain sometimes.

"Hey there, boy." Naruto said with a grin as he stepped into the room. "One of us is in deep shit right now."

* * *

Everyone remained quiet as they processed what he said. For the time being, no one made an attempt to move from their spots. They had just came here to discuss another attack at the Black Camp, damn it! They hadn't expected Ruler's servant to break in here with some secret agenda that no one knew about!

Well, everyone except Shirou that is.

Upon having his name called out, everyone turned to look at the young priest. Steeling his nerves, he kept his face blank and stared back at the Blonde man and the young saint as she entered the room.

"Saint Joan of arc," Shirou muttered before turning to regard Naruto. "And her loyal dog. Tell me, why is it that you two are here?"

"Cut the shit. You know why we are here." Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "We have questions that need answering, and you just so happen to know all the answers."

"Is that so..." Shirou muttered, exchanging small glances with Assassin.

"What is going on?" Waver demanded as he stood up from his seat, despite the amount of pressure in the room. "What have we done to warrant your attention?"

Naruto sighed. "Not you, magus. None of you did anything wrong. The only one we're after is the young man over there." He pointed towards the Catholic. "I have received a warning to meet up with this boy to receive some answers regarding the strange events of this war. Now that I am in front of him, I understand what is going on."

"What?" Whispers and glances were exchanged between the others in the room while Shirou and Assassin continued to remain silent.

"What are you saying, Uzumaki?" Rider asked with a frown as he glanced towards the priest.

"Do you not sense it? The aura of power that comes from the boy even though he is only human? It is buried deep, but it resembles that of the heroes of old."

"Power compared to a heroic spirit?" Lancer muttered as he turned to face the boy. Focusing on him, they could suddenly feel the small difference in him that they have overlooked before. It was quite small, but it was something that no hero would ever mistake.

It was the presence of another hero.

"It seems I have been caught." Shirou muttered as he stood up, causing Jeanne's eyes to widen as she found that her **True Name Discernment** skill worked on the young man in front of her. The only way that could be possible was for the boy to be a servant just like her! It should have been an impossibility with a body of flesh, but the truth was definitely in front of her.

"Ruler class servant, Amakusa Shirou..." Jeanne muttered in shock while everyone's eyes widened at the revelation.

"Wait... You're a servant?!" Reines exclaimed in shock, suddenly not feeling safe being near the boy.

"Correct. I am not from this war, however, I was the Ruler class servant of the Third Holy Grail war, which had been stationed at Fuyuki city." Shirou said evenly.

"But then you being here should be impossible... how could you have survived?" Grey quietly asked, hands drifting towards her mystic code that she kept sealed away.

"By obtaining a body, of course. Granted, it was purely on accident, but I can hardly complain." Shirou said with a smile devoid of warmth. "Tell me, do any of you know when that particular grail war took place?"

"The eve of world war II." Waver muttered, having researched the particular subject before.

"Correct. You know your history." Shirou said with a small clap. "During this particular time, the clan known as the Einzberns were particularly angry about not having won the previous wars. Due to this, decided to try and tip the scales in their favor by attempting the summoning of either an Avenger or Ruler class servant. As such, they rigged the system to their advantage."

"Avenger class servant?" Saber asked with a frown. That sounded interesting.

"It's a class that holds servants that are spirits of anger and vengeance. They're not so different than berserkers, but you can think of them as cold anger rather than fearsome rage." Shirou explained with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, they attempted to summon Angra Mainyu, a god of evil in Zoroastrianism, and succeeded in that effort. Doing so, however, also triggered a Ruler class servant to be summoned by the grail as a defense against such a being. Therefore, I was brought back into the world."

"Typic magus." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"However, despite getting the person known as Angra Mainyu, he wasn't the god that they were hoping to get. Carved upon his skin was all of the sins of humanity, but he was the weakest servant in the war. His noble phantasms and stats were trash, leading him to die almost immediately." Shirou said, having remembered the man getting torn apart by a very vicious berserker. "Upon his death, however, his soul entered into the Holy Grail and began corrupting it from the inside out. A wish placed upon it now would most certainly end in destruction."

"And how is it that you have survived the war?" Jeanne asked.

"By touching the Grail, of course. A curse as solid as that was able to give me the body of a mortal, allowing me to live without a master as I did in life. If it had been anyone else, they would have most certainly been corrupted by the sins of humanity, but I had been able to purify myself through a painful process of baptizing." Shirou said with a smirk. "After that, I made it into the Church and got a position in the Assembly of the Eight sacrament as an excuse to continue looking for the Grail after its disappearance."

"Disappearance?" Reines asked with curiosity, having heard about something like that.

"You may not know this, but the head of the Yggdmillenia, Darnic, was a participant in the War, wielding Heracles as his Berserker class servant." Shirou said, making their eyes widen. "At the time, he was a soldier in the Third Reich of Germany and led the military to send asset to assist him in gaining the Grail. Of course, they met resistance from the Imperial army, turning the entire area into a literal war zone unlike any Grail war to this date."

He gave a smile once he finished. "Now you know the truth. Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

The air suddenly seemed to turn colder at those words. It was almost like he was issuing something final or direct. If no one said anything, something bad was going to happen.

"I believe I will speak regarding everyone here." Naruto said as he stared unflinchingly. "What is your wish, saint of the east? It is only logical that you want something from the Grail, even if its cursed."

"Ah... That's a simple question. I simply want what everyone in the world wants." Shirou said with a smile. "I wish... for the salvation of humanity."

Everyone went silent and stared at him like he was crazy. To their surprise, however, there was not a single amount of insanity in his eyes. Instead, it was filled with seriousness and conviction.

It reminded him like a certain man that he had fought a long time ago, a man who fought for eternal salvation for every human on earth.

"You must be joking." Kairi said with an incredulous look. "That's not something you can just wish for! If there was such thing as peace on earth, it would have been achieve by now!"

"I agree, that's simply a fantasy that can never be completed for as long as humanity lives." Waver said in agreement.

Even Jeanne herself could only agree with what Kairi and Waver said. It was a goal that could never be reached as long as there was hate in the world. Even Christianity or any other Religion could ever hope to create an ideal world like that. What got to her though, was the fact that this priest was going to use the Grail for such a world.

Christians firmly believed that death was only the first step to reaching eternal happiness with their God in heaven. Their time and life on earth was simply a test to see if you could enter the promise land with God. As such, a catholic shouldn't be worried about not having a perfect world on earth. They could certainly help to make the world a better place, but it would never be perfect.

"What you wish for goes against the wishes of God! Would you dare to trample on everything our Religion stands for?" Jeanne asked, causing the man's smile to drop.

"We shall see. If I succeed, then it only proves that this is what God wants from me. I won't let anyone stop me, not even a pagan god like your servant." Shirou said as he snapped his fingers. On cue, the walls began moving and several dark shapes darted into the room. When they grounded to a halt, at least 13 new figures appeared in the room. They were dressed in dark trench coats and face masks. Pinned to several of them were badges and medals of the sort that you would find in a world war two museum.

Each of them carried a different weapons, ranging from bowie knives to WWII submachine guns, each having a purple aura to show that they had been enchanted in some way. The ones with the guns stepped forward, pointing at the masters and servants in the room.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Rider growled as he stood in front of his master.

"Bastard! He plans to betray us!" Saber growled as she materialized her armor and sword.

"I've been planning this for a long time. The Grail only has enough energy to grant one wish. As such, I already had plans to betray you." Shirou said with an annoying smile as the unknown minions began surrounding them.

"Hah! And do you think these measly foot soldiers will be able to stop us?" Lancer boasted as he swept his spear out as a warning to them to back off. Surprisingly, none of them reacted with fear and just continued to point their weapons.

"These aren't some measly foot soldiers, Lancer." Shirou said with a sigh. "These are the dead apostles of the late german army. Put under a secret magus experiment to turn most of their soldiers into powerful vampires and assisted in the effort to taake the Grail. As of now, they are now under contract from me in exchanged for me not to destroy them and give them sanctuary from the Church. My baptismal sacraments are quite powerful, you know."

"Oh? Dead apostles?" Naruto said with a chuckle as he stepped forward. "They may pose quite the challenge with their numbers, but you know I could crush them all in an instant, right?"

"Indeed, Maelstrom." Shirou nodded in agreement. "Which is why I brought another playmate for you."

Suddenly, a massive amount of killing intent filled the room. Eyes widening in surprise when he felt a heavy presence bare down from behind him, Naruto spun around just in time to see a massive sword cleaved towards his face. Reacting quickly, he leaned backwards and avoid having his head cut clean off as the sword swept past his head from mere inches.

"Impressive. To think you were able to avoid my sword. It seems it takes an assassin to know an assassin, after all." A garbled voice resonated from the person who had just attacked him. Regaining his bearings, Naruto calmly turned to face his attacker.

It was a skull.

No, seriously. The guy was practically a skull. A suit of armor decorated with skulls, and a helmet that was a skull, covered his entire body. Blue misty aura leaked from the body beneath the armor, showing nothing but a dark covering that hid his skin.

Immediately, Naruto could tell that this man was unlike any other servant in this war. He leaked out a powerful aura that was practically visible around him. And despite the huge sword, hulking armor, and presence, he hadn't even sensed him until he had made a move to attack.

Only the highest class of shinobi were able to hide their presence briefly from him. But to wield a sword and armor of that size? This man trumped all of them in terms of sheer stealth skills. He couldn't even remember the last time someone had managed to sneak up on him in a combat situation.

The last Ninja he remembered that could move that stealthily and fast with a huge sword like that was Zabuza, but he had to use the hidden mist jutsu to scramble his target's senses and create a blind spot.

"How intriguing... I have never been caught off guard quite like that before. Who are you?" Naruto asked with a curious look.

"I am... the original Hassan-i-Sabbah. The first from which all the others derived from." The assassin rumbled, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock.

"The first?" Gray muttered as she eyed the Assassin.

"He speaks the truth. This man is the first leader of the assassination organization, a compound being built up from the legacy of the other Hassan that have taken the same title as he did." Shirou said with a nod. "He is the grand assassin, one of the candidates that could be considered the strongest in their class. And now..." He swept his arm, causing Hassan and the dead apostles to charge forward.

"Clear the room! Throw them off this base!"

* * *

Immediately after he said that, Rider was the first one to respond. Drawing his sword and cutting the space in front of him, he summoned his chariot and hopped on. Grabbing the rest of the masters roughly and placing them inside of the Chariot, he quickly took off before anyone could react.

Luckily, the red servants were quicker to react than the dead apostles, running after the chariot as fast as their feet could carry them.

"Let us go, Jeanne!" Naruto yelled.

"Right!" Jeanne exclaimed as she quickly ran out of the door, easily keeping pace with the other servants. Before Naruto could run after them, however, he was forced to block a sword strike with a truth seeking ball as Hassan quickly appeared in front of him at a speed that could be compared to teleportation.

"It seems you just won't quit." Naruto gritted as he felt himself actually having to TRY and stop himself from being overpowered by the Assassin. As they were deadlocked, the dead apostles rushed past them and gave chase after the retreating servants.

"I apologize. I am being forced to kill you with a command spell. No hard feelings." The assassin said with a tone that carried a scent of an apology. Disengaging and twisting around, he sent Naruto flying backwards as he struck with force that should not have been found in the Assassin class.

Crashing through several buildings, Naruto quickly rolled to his knees and recovered just in time as Hassan slammed into him again, keeping up the pressure and not giving him any opportunities to launch a counterattack.

"Zabaniya: Cyber Phantasy!"

Ducking as Hassan's free hand suddenly flew towards his head, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as the hand struck a pillar and engulfed it in a massive explosion big enough to engulf it and completely destroy it. Jumping back to gain some distance, Naruto observed the destruction with an impressed look.

"Quite interesting. Was that your noble phantasm?" Naruto wondered out loud as he watched Hassan emerge from the smoke unscathed.

"The deeds of those who have carried my name have bled into me. It is only natural that the person they named themselves as to possess their knowledge and techniques." Hassan rasped as he charged forward once again.

Dodging under a slash, Naruto quickly created a Rasengan and smashed it straight into Hassan's chest, sending him flying backwards.

"Zabaniya: Febrile Inspiration."

There wasn't a single scratch on him. True, a quick rasengan wasn't as powerful as a regular one, but it should have been powerful enough to nearly crack ribs and damage internal organs. Yet, the man still remained standing without a scratch.

"You're going to have to try harder than that." Hassan rasped as he hefted his sword.

"Tch... It seems you are correct." Naruto said as he decided to release more of his power.

Even in the seriousness of the situation, he found himself with a nostalgic sense of excitement. It had been ages since he had fought a being of this level that could push him into his more powerful form.

Deciding to release a few of his limiters, he decided to show this man just exactly who he was messing with.

"Rejoice, old man of the mountain. It has been many years since I have revealed a fraction of my true glory. Recognize your defeat with such knowledge."

And with that, Naruto's body exploded into ethereal light.

* * *

"Remind me again, why I decided to hitch a ride with you?" Saber muttered as she rode with Lancer and Jeanne on the back of Lancer's own chariot.

"Do you want to waste your time running?" Lancer grumbled as he held the reigns.

"Why would I run when I could tear those vampires apart limb by limb?" Saber growled in response, but nevertheless didn't step a foot off the chariot.

"Would you two quit fighting? We have bigger problems to attend to. It seems that the vampires are following us." Jeanne scolded, causing both to quickly shut up and listen to her.

A second later, a bullet impacted the side of the chariot, making Saber and Jeanne flinch at how close the shot had managed to land.

"Damn it... Let me at em!" Saber growled as she prepared to jump out of the chariot and intercept the attackers, who were off in the distance and were firing shots from their guns.

"Don't be foolish, Saber of Red." Jeanne said as she quickly grabbed Mordred and prevented her from engaging. "Those are dead apostles equipped with enchanted weapons. Even if their abilities pale in comparison to yours, they are still dead apostles. They're not like the homunculi and golems you fought at the black camp."

"That doesn't matter! I'll slaughter them all! Father would never loose to such weaklings!" Saber roared, struggling to break out of Jeanne's grip. Jeanne just sighed and turned to regard Achilles, who was too busy paying attention to the road to focus on the vampires behind them.

"Make a straight line for the Black camp. We must warn them of what is going on."

"You do realize that they'll treat us as enemies, right? Plus, we're still in a war." Lancer said he casually swatted a bullet away that would have struck one of his horses.

"It doesn't matter. This is no longer a war between masters and servants. This battle could dictate the future of the entire world! If Shirou decides to use such a cursed artifact for something such as world peace, there's no telling what kind of destruction will happen!" Jeanne declared with absolute conviction that such a thing was not allowed to happen.

Lancer's face was grim, but he nodded nevertheless. "Fine, but if we die because of the Black Camp, I will be sorely disappointed."

"Don't worry. If that doesn't happen, we'll all be dead either way."


	18. Chapter 18 (Apocrypha)

"Nach ihnen! Sie dürfen nicht lebend davon kommen!"

The Dead apostles yelled at each other in German as they gave chase. Despite not being able to catch up to the chariots, they were able to keep in pace using their superhuman strength and stamina. And thanks to the moon being out, they all gained a considerable boost in power.

"What are they saying?" Gray muttered quietly.

"'After them! Do not let them leave alive!'." Waver translated, earning surprised looks from everyone.

"You can speak german?" Reines asked, causing Waver to give a snort.

"I'm a scholar. I get students from all over the world so I studied bits and pieces of multiple languages." Waver said with a sigh, not understanding why everyone thought that was such a big surprise. He was a bit of a bookworm when he was younger, after all. "Anyway, do any of you have a plan? We can't just outrun all of them until the sun rises."

"Very good attention to detail, my pupil!" Rider boomed with a grin, causing Waver to groan in annoyance.

"You know if I didn't know you, I would have called you a smartass." Waver muttered in annoyance. He knew that Alexander was one of the most famous military commanders of all time, but the dude could act pretty stupid when it came to things other than strategy and fighting.

"We were ordered by miss Ruler to head straight towards the Yggdmillenia castle. As of now, the Holy Grail War has been called off and we have no choice but to join up with the Black faction to combat the threat." Rider continued, causing everyone to look at him in alarm.

"What?! But the black faction has absolutely no idea about what is going on! If they see all of us riding towards their base, they'll take it as an attack and strike back with their entire force!" Reines argued.

"Ruler says not to worry about it. Once they see her riding with us, they will be hesitant to strike at us for fear of incurring her wrath. Once we have reached the castle safely, we will have to explain what is going on." Rider said as he whipped the reigns, causing the bulls pulling the chariot to bellow as they smashed through trees.

"It's the only option we have. We'll deal with the vampires when we get there." Waver said, accepting that this was the only available option that they could come up with.

"Why couldn't we have just killed the priest while we were there? If we could have, it wouldn't have led to this mess." Gray asked, obviously not loving the situation one bit.

"We were already in a massive disadvantage at the time, young Gray." Rider replied. "15 dead apostles, a magical queen, and the original being that is synonymous with Assassination is more than any of us can possibly handle. It doesn't help we were in their territory. Retreating was the most tactical decision we could have made at the time. Even then without Ruler's servant, you all would have been slaughtered by the Old Man of the Mountain."

Hassan-I-Sabbah is a name and tittle that corresponds with the term of 'Assassin'. Even though there have been many others who have killed in the shadows before them, they were the ones who stuck as Assassins right until their history ended. That is why using the word 'Assassin' is a catalyst that will summon any candidates who have taken the title of Hassan during their life.

The Hassan that had introduced himself, however, implied himself to be the original. He was the first from which all other Hassans derived from. Due to such a powerful legend concerning a class that were best utilized in killing Masters behind the scenes, it was incredible unwise to leave their masters there, even if the other servants were within reach.

Suddenly, the rider's eyes widened as something screeched past the chariot and exploded in front of them. Turning to look behind them, they could see several of the dead apostles bringing out long weapons that resembled tubes with a small cone strapped to the end. A simple grip rested near the end of the weapon, giving the user a way of stability and control to deal with the recoil.

Waver's eyes widened when he realized what it was.

He had expected it to be some kind of portable grenade launcher.

No.

It was far worse that that.

It was a Panzerfaust, a german Anti-tank weapon that was used in World War 2 to help infantry grunts deal with heavily armored vehicles such as tanks. They could be called the prototype of what would eventually become modern rocket launchers.

They weren't as modern as the anti-tank weapons of today, but they all glowed faintly with a purple hue that covered the weapons ominously. It was a clear sign that the weapon had been enchanted to some degree, possibly by Assassin or Caster.

No modern weapon of this day and age would be sufficient, or powerful enough to destroy a spiritual body like a servant. If the weapon was enchanted, however, by someone from the Age of the Gods who wielded unmatched magecraft, it was certainly possible to turn a modern weapon into a D-ranked Noble phantasm. Even at such a low rank on the power scale, it was still a force powerful enough to be above anything a normal magi could wield.

"Rider! Pull up!" Waver ordered frantically.

Whipping the reigns, Rider quickly ordered the magical bulls to quickly pull the chariot upwards. Quickly taking to the skies, the group narrowly avoided being blown to bits as numerous missiles screamed below them, exploding against the trees and showered them with splinters.

"You guys alright?" Lancer asked as he pulled up besides them in his own chariot.

"Yes, we are all unharmed." Reines replied, dusting off splinters from her dress.

"We must hurry and warn the Black Faction. The fortress has begun moving and we don't have the power to bring down a Noble phantasm of that scale." Jeanne said with a grim look on her face.

"What about your servant, Miss Ruler? Isn't he a god?" Gray asked, causing Jeanne's face to fall.

"Yes, I believe so. Right now, however, he is busy holding off Hassan for us to make our escape. I also cannot seem to contact him through our connection right now." Jeanne said miserably, already feeling worried for her fellow companion.

"Bah! Why are you so worried, woman? If he's a god, then he should be fine! What kind of person would he be if he were beaten so easily by some old man of the mountain?" Saber said in a rude tone, but Jeanne could tell that the knight of betrayal was only trying to reassure and cheer her up.

"Yes, you are right. I believe he will come out victorious." Jeanne said with a small smile. "Now, let us continue. I don't believe we have lost them yet."

Sure enough, a hail of bullets zipped past them as the dead apostles continued to give chase while firing their guns upwards at them. Saber gave an impressed whistle at the tenacity these guys had. They may not be able to compare to a servant, but they were certainly better than the homunculi and golems they had faced at the black camp.

"It is time for us to leave! Ride with me, Lancer!" Rider roared as he spurred the bulls on.

"Right!" Lancer grinned as he rode side by side with the king of conquerors. He may have claimed to not work well with those of royalty or of kingship, but he certainly found himself getting along quite well with the giant Rider. Despite being a king, he was one who fought with his men and not behind them, treating each of them like his brothers instead of pawns that were meant to die on the field of battle.

And plus, the dude was awesome at drinking challenges. That's a plus, right?

* * *

Naruto grunted as he was kicked straight off the floating island, smashing into the distant earth below with enough force to create a small crater. Despite this, he still stood up without problem other than a small stiffness in his shoulder.

Glowing with the chakra shroud that was given to him as the host of the ten tails, his specialized armor already began to heal any of the light wounds that he may have received earlier. Despite having his defenses raised to abnormal levels, he still had numerous cuts and bruises that covered his body from Assassin's raw strength.

He even had his heart crushed at least 5 times by now, but he got better.

He found it amazing that an opponent could push him this far. Upon the release of his Chakra cloak, the Assassin had decided to release more of is own power to keep up. Activating the Zabaniya of each of his successors, the Assassin proved himself to be quite the troublesome opponent.

The Zabaniya were techniques created by the assassins that were classified as first rate killing techniques easily able to swiftly kill an opponent in an instant. In a sense, they were similar to hidden ninjutsu, techniques that were unique only to the wielders themselves.

As the original Hassan, it was only natural that he would possess their techniques as the compound being made from their deeds. The Zabaniya noble phantasms were supposed to be used to their full potential against defenseless Masters, but the King Hassan's power and skill level elevated those techniques into extremely high levels. Even if they weren't sure to kill him, it would sure hurt like hell if he was struck by one of those techniques.

Suddenly, The King of Assassins dropped out of the air, easily remaining upright as he slammed into the ground and created a similar sized crater.

"Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body."

As the Assassin spoke out the name of the technique, a strong smell immediately wafted throughout the air. All around them, plants wilted and died as the scent immediately got stronger, causing Naruto's lungs to burn slightly as it reached his nose.

"Poison..." Naruto muttered as he recognized the familiar smell that coated Shinobi weaponry. Quickly circulating his chakra to expel the toxin, he took up a stance as Hassan began walking towards him, not affected at all by the pollution.

"You even managed to resist the effect of my poison? You are as strong as the legends say you are." Hassan rasped.

"And you as well, Old man of the mountain. It's a shame we couldn't meet in more favorable conditions." Naruto responded politely.

"Indeed. I loathe the command spell that chains me, but I have no choice but to obey the order that has been grafted onto me." Hassan apologized as he took up a stance. "Quickly, let us resume our battle and get this over with. Just as I have my orders, you have something you must do as well."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, you are correct. Let us continue."

Before another breath could pass, Hassan had already begun his charge, swinging his sword with the ferocity and precision of a highly trained killer. Quickly materializing a red chakra sword, Naruto quickly parried the strike and responded with his own.

Stepping backwards and deflecting the blow, Hassan's free hand quickly shot forward to grasp at Naruto's face. Lashing out with his foot, Hassan stumbled backwards with a grunt as Naruto's kick smashed into his stomach.

Naruto gritted his teeth in annoyance when his foot failed to do more damage. "So... His body is still as solid as diamond despite turning it into poison. How bothersome."

He swung his sword again, this time with enough force to slice several trees in half with the simple aftershock of the attack. Stepping forward fearlessly, Hassan ducked under the attack and thrusted his sword forward to pierce his heart.

Using the momentum of his missed swing, Naruto twisted a full 360 degrees and sliced his sword with even more power. Upon contact between weapons, an explosion of prana and Chakra erupted between them, sending them both flying backwards.

Quickly recovering, the two suddenly found their hands free of their weapons. Naruto's chakra blade had dissipated in the explosion while Hassan's own blade had found itself lodged int the trunk of a nearby tree with others bisected in half beneath it. Looking at each other, the both stood up and began walking towards each other.

"Fine." Hassan grunted as he raised his hands. "I'll just use my fists."

"So will I. I'll just beat you to death." Naruto said as settled into a standard combat stance.

Striking with the speed of a viper, Naruto quickly blocked several strikes in less than a single breath as the two of them immediately struck at each other with the intent to kill. For each strike that they landed, they would receive a strike of their own, forgoing defense in favor of them pummeling each other to death so they could break through their defenses.

"Ora!" Naruto roared as he switched up his tactics and opted for a grapple. Ignoring the poison as it hissed against his skin, he looped his arms around a punch and used his momentum to thrown the Assassin over his shoulder, send him crashing through several trees.

Rolling to a halt, Hassan quickly stood back up and launched a punch immediately, predicting that Naruto would charge in to prevent him from recovering. Predicting correctly, Hassan found his fist smashed against Naruto's face. As he tried to send him flying, however, Hassan's nonexistent eyes widened in surprise as Naruto suddenly exploded into smoke.

"A clone?!"

"Rasengan!"

Hassan didn't even have time to spin around as a Rasengan slammed into his back and sent him flying. Growling in annoyance as the Rasengan managed to actually harm him through his diamond skin, Dirks appeared in Hassan's hands and were thrown mid-flight with the speed of a bullet.

Not having expected such an attack while airborne, Naruto raised his hands and winced in slight annoyance as 5 dirks struck him in the arm, leg, and shoulder. The throwing knives were all hooked to make removal of the blades difficult, but Naruto quickly immediately began pulling them out, his open wounds already closing thanks to his regenerative powers.

Looking up, he could see that Hassan had already recovered as well and was zooming towards him with two dirks in his hand. Ducking underneath a slash, he quickly wrapped his arms around hassan's waist and swerved behind him, jerking him to a stop and lifting him backwards as he performed a german suplex.

He learned that technique from watching wrestling on TV. If there was one thing humanity did right for entertainment, wrestling was obviously the best.

Dropping his weapons as his body hit the dirt, Hassan suddenly cursed in arabic as Naruto rolled over and positioned himself on his chest to pin him down. At this point, the only thing the man of the mountain could do was buck, flail, and claw at the face in the hopes of throwing Naruto off of him.

Grabbing one of the hands that moved to gouge out his eyes, Naruto quickly jerked it harshly and snapped it, earning a hiss of pain from the man beneath him. Seeing as his left hand was useless, the right hand snapped forward in its stead. Repeating what he had just done, Naruto snapped the other hand as well before he pummeled hassan's face twice with his fists for good measure.

Calming down from his combat high, Naruto inhaled and exhaled slowly in an effort to get his breathing under control. Beneath him, Hassan laid there in a daze of pain with injuries that would have made any normal man black out from the pain.

"Heh... heh..." Hassan gave a tired laugh. "I admit... defeat. It seems you are just too strong. A pity. I had thought that my assassination techniques would have been a match for you."

"Well, you pushed me this far. Not many people can ever say that they managed to do that." Naruto said as his chakra cloak disappeared, no longer needed.

"It was a good run while it lasted."

"Yes, but I still have a question for you before I go." Naruto said as he leaned forward. "How is the priest keeping you materialized in this world? A spirit as powerful as you wouldn't be able to stay materialized in this world without a master, and I highly doubt that he has enough power on his own for you to act at such a level."

"Hm..." Hassan muttered as he craned his neck to see. "He's using Grail shards."

"Grail shards?"

"Yes, leftover remnants from other fake grail wars that have occurred in the past. As an overseer, he said he has been stationed in several grail wars and collecting resources in preparation for this day. Inside each of us is a shard from the countless fake grails that have been scattered across the world. Even if they were fake, they still have enough power to at least sustain a servant and keep them materialized in the world."

"Then where are those shards now? They must be close by for them to work, right?" Naruto asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"You're correct, and they're closer than you think." He nodded towards his chest. "I have several of them placed in my chest. The other rogue servants that you have encountered only required 1 or 2 shards to deal with their upkeep, but I recently had eight of these added to perform at maximum efficiency against you."

"And what would happen if those grail shards run out of power?"

"Well, we'd disappear of course. Even with that large amount of power, it can't recover prana as fast as we release it during a fight. For today, however, Shirou Kotomine has decided to drop all of his servants in an assault on the Yggdmillenia castle."

"So he plans to settle this war today, huh?" Naruto muttered as he glanced in the direction of the Yggmillenia castle. "How large is the assault?"

"He never disclosed such information for me. All I know is that he has an unknown amount of dead apostles that could make up a small battalion. As for the servants, I do not know. I was mostly locked away in the basement before I was allowed to fight you." Hassan admitted, laying his head back down on the ground. "I've said all that I know. Now... hurry up and finish me off. I'm starting to get a bitch of an itch that I can't scratch."

It sounded like a joke, but neither of them laughed. Materializing a truth seeking orb in his hand, he changed its shape and elongated it into a black pole with a sharp point at the end. As he raised it above his head, he gave his opponent a sad look.

"Rest easy, Old man."

The man could only chuckle without humor as Naruto stabbed downward.

* * *

Arjuna whistled to himself as he kept a watchful eye in his usual vantage point up in the tallest tower. Normally he would have been dutifully standing with his bow in hand. Today, however, he was taking it easy. Having set up a small hammock, he casually lazed around it as he worked.

Having nearly been clubbed to death by a metal suit, he deserved a break. And it's not like he couldn't afford to slack off at a time like this, right? The red faction had just retreated a couple hours ago and most likely won't attack until they have organized themselves.

He was also eating his favorite dish of mapo tofu that he had made by himself. Even after all these years of being dead, he still hadn't forgotten how to make such a hellish dish that was so potent, nobody in the entire castle could even take a small bite. Even the ever stoic Siegfried and the mechanical Frankenstein couldn't withstand the food of the devil.

As he enjoyed his small treat, his ears suddenly perked up as a cracking sound reached his ears. At first, he thought nothing of it and simply thought it was some kind of firework that some kids had brought into the woods. When he continued to hear it, though, he growled in annoyance and peaked over the edge.

"What in Shiva's name is going on-"

His words died in his throat and his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. Riding towards the castle were servants of the red faction and their masters inside their chariots. Falling out of the hammock, he quickly grabbed his bow and immediately sighted in on his target.

"What the hell? They're attacking already?!" Archer of Black muttered in shock as he watched them. Shaking his head, he quickly began pulling back on the bowstring. "No matter. I have to stop them before they rea-"

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

Turning towards the sound of that voice, his eyes widened further when he saw Ruler herself standing in one of the chariots. In her hands was her golden flag that she was currently waving around frantically with a panicked expression on her face. Seeing this, his grip on the bow slackened just a little bit.

What was she doing with the red faction? He didn't know. What he did know was that he couldn't risk firing upon the mediator. His master said that the Ruler came with command spells for each servant in the war, and that was not even concerning her universe level servant.

Something tugged at him the wrong way as he stared at her expression. Why was she so frantic? Sure, he could have fired upon her without a second thought, but he was sure that she would have used a command seal on him.

Seeing her gesturing towards the woods, he turned his attention to where she was pointing and narrowed his eyes as several dark shapes darted out of the trees and ran towards the Chariot, obviously tailing the vehicle.

He could immediately tell that they were dead apostles. No human being could possibly run like that without the use of magecraft, yet they did so effortlessly. Plus, the smell of death coming from them was a huge tip off.

Shifting his goals, he quickly brought his bow around and took aim. He would eliminate the pests now and ask Ruler questions later. Dead apostles were always troublesome beings, no matter which side they were one.

Just as he was about to fire, however, somebody else beat him to it. Raining down from above, numerous swords and spears screeched down from the sky like missiles and impaled each of the vampires, not even giving them a chance to scream before they were shredded instantly.

Looking upwards in shock, he saw a golden ship descending down upon the stunned members of the Red Camp.

* * *

Masters and servants looked up with gaping jaws as the golden ship descended upon them. Moving silently and precisely with a speed that shouldn't have been possible with how large it was. As it settled in front of them, a latch opened up from above and a golden throne began to push out.

"Foolish mongrels, did they think that they could lay hands on my master simply because I had been gone? Foolish beasts." A familiar voice spoke haughtily as a figure appeared sitting on the throne. When they realized who it was, their mouths dropped even further.

"Archer!?" Lancer and Rider exclaimed.

"Damn it... he's not dead!" Saber muttered under her breath.

"Nooo..." Reines and Waver moaned.

"Gilgamesh?!" Gray gaped. "But... You were killed in your battle with Ruler's servant!"

"You have no idea, girl." Gilgamesh groaned. "After my battle with the god, I was taken by surprise from behind! Weakened from my battle, I couldn't muster another set of my treasures to blast the cowardly mongrel who would strike at me dishonorably! As such, I was forced to flee into my own vault to survive!"

"But... how did you survive? I don't believe my prana could reach you from here." Gray asked with a curious look.

"I have my ways, girl." Gilgamesh snorted as he stood up and snapped his fingers, causing the ship to dematerialize as it faded back into the vault. "Now, I have missed quite a bit since my time in the vault and I demand a report on what has been going on in my absence. Why were you being chased by those filthy mutts, and why are you here in this sorry excuse for a camp?"

Everyone looked at each other, obviously waiting for someone to explain. Not seeing any volunteers, Ruler decided to speak up.

"Let's talk about this later."

Gilgamesh snorted. "You better, girl. I have gone through hell while I was in my vault because of your servant. My patience is growing thin."

Everyone paled at that. The dude was a nasty piece of work whenever he was angry or bored.


	19. Chapter 19 (Apocrypha)

"Darnic, it seems we have a conundrum." Kiritsugu announced as he entered the throne room, where most of the servants and Master's have gathered to discuss strategy after their near defeat at the hands of the Red faction and the surprise attacks by the rogue servant.

"What is it?" Darnic asked with a twinge of annoyance in his voice at how Emiya casually referred to him by his first name. "It is rude to enter without knocking."

"No time. I have important news." Emiya said as he held out his hand. At his command, Maiya stepped forward and pressed a small box with an optic lens into his open hand. To any normal person, it was a simple video camera. To the mages and servants, however, it was like introducing fire to a caveman.

"This... is a camera." Kiritsugu explained, earning whispers amongst the others.

"Dear God..." Gordes whispered under his breath. As a magus, he had never been in the same room as a technological product like this. In all honesty, he hadn't even thought he would ever lay eyes on one.

"There's more." Kiritsugu continued.

"No..." Gordes muttered dramatically, causing Kiritsugu to shoot him an odd look before continuing on.

"My Assistant was out scouting earlier using her familiars when one of them came back with... something interesting." Kiritsugu said as he tossed the device over to Darnic, who caught it in his hand. "The video will be able to explain things better than I."

"That is quite convenient Emiya, but..."

"Yes?"

"How do you play the video?" Darnic asked. To the man's credit, his face was devoid of emotion instead of looking like an embarrassed idiot who didn't know how to work a simple camera. Truth be told, Darnic didn't even know how to work a regular house phone. Instead, he had to contact Kiritsugu through Caules because the kid was the only one in the family who interacts with technology like this on a daily basis unlike his sister.

And luckily, the same boy decided to intervene for Kiritsugu's behalf.

"It's this button, Grandfather." Caules said as he leaned forward and pressed a red button on the side of the camera. When he pressed it, the picture on the monitor began to move as the device played the video.

"Thank you, Caules." This time, a hint of embarrassment came out of the clan leader's mouth. As the video began to play, the rest of the servants and masters began to huddle around the man as they tried to see what was going on in the video.

It was pretty normal a couple minutes in. The camera had been one of many devices that had been tied to familiars and scattered throughout the forest, allowing for efficient use of recon without having to place themselves in harms way.

When it hit the 3:18 mark, Darnic's eyes widened in shock as the camera caught a clear view of several people dressed in combat fatigues and were racing through the forest at high speeds. Quickly hitting the button, he paused the video as everyone stared at him in confusion.

"It can't be..."

"What is it, grandfather?" Fiore asked with a slightly worried expression as she had never seen him act like this in front of her. He studied the image in front of him for a few more seconds before he nodded as if confirming something to himself.

"Yes... that's definitely them. I'd recognize those combat fatigues anywhere. Those are dead apostles from Germany's 666 Battalion!"

At those words, everyone's eyes widened at that. As far as magecraft was concerned, utilizing the number of 666 in any way was a sign of misfortune and dark magic that would make most magi shy away from it. Of course, it was a superstition, but anything can be feared as true if enough people believe it to be so.

"What are you talking about? 666 Battalion? Sounds like the name of a metal band." Caules said as Darnic looked up at them.

"They're a secret battalion of soldiers handpicked by the Fuhrer himself to undergo the process of vampirization. After their secret sector dedicated to the supernatural managed to capture a dead apostle, they forced it to bite the candidates and begin the process of transforming them into dead apostles themselves. Of course, some of them didn't survive and simply remained as ghouls, but the majority of them managed to survive the process." Darnic explained.

"Wait... So nazi Germany had a secret vampiric army? But that's preposterous! That's a risk of revealing magecraft to the public!" Gordes exclaimed, obviously disagreeing with such methods. In the minds of most magi, keeping magecraft a secret was the only rule they had to follow when it came to their profession. So long as that rule is kept at top priority, all other methods are fair game. That includes performing acts that could be considered monstrous by many.

"Magecraft back then wasn't as secret as it is now." Darnic said. "Of course, it wasn't known by the public as such knowledge would certainly get out of hand. However, it soon became known in the most secret government positions, especially on World War 2 where countries were trying to get a leg up on each other."

"So you're saying that most of the world governments know about the existence of magecraft?" Kiritsugu asked. He had been hired by many foreign governments as a freelance mercenary for hire. If they knew about the secret side of his life, it could certainly lead to problems later.

"As of now, no. All traces of it were destroyed when Germany lost the war, and government officials who knew about it have already died. As far as the clock tower is concerned, the secret of magecraft has been kept safe.

"But what is your connection to these abominations?" Lancer asked, obviously interested in his master's past.

"Back then, the members of the battalion didn't see much action due to being established very late in the war. When I asked for assistance in stealing the Holy Grail, the Battalion were sent in as my backup and quickly began to help behind the scenes. Even if they couldn't match the servants, they were exceedingly close to them in terms of sheer power. While I had made my escape along with the Grail, I remember leaving them behind as they fought against the executioners that were sent by the church." Darnic muttered.

"Seems like they missed a spot." Kiritsugu said with annoyance. "But it doesn't make any sense... If what you were saying is true, the Church would not let a single one of them leave the city alive. An entire battalion of dead apostles in one of the most famous battle grounds in the magi community would earn the most extreme of responses by the Church."

All of them remained quiet as they thought about this predicament. Suddenly, the door burst open and Archer strolled into the room with a tense expression on his usually calm face.

"Ah... Archer? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be upstairs?" Fiore asked with a curious look. The last thing he had said to her before heading up to the tower was for complete and utter solitude so he could focus more on the task that was given to him.

Translation: "Make sure that no one comes up here so I can pretend to work but sleep instead."

"I have come with news. We have visitors." Archer began before a loud voice suddenly came from the hallways outside, silencing anyone who tried to open their mouths to ask why they would be having visitors at this hour.

"What is this filthy place?" There was silence for a moment before the voice spoke again. "A castle?! How is this filthy place called a castle?! It is just a shack that you peasants simply call a castle!"

An insulted look crossed Lancer of Black's face upon those words.

"Now, now, Goldie. This place certainly has its values even if it's a little bit rusty at the moment!" Another loud voice that was much deeper and gruff responded.

At this point, everyone turned to stare at Archer, who was fidgeting slightly under all the stares.

"Archer... Who did you let inside?" Lancer slowly asked, realization dawning on his features as he recognized the smell of power outside his room.

"Mmm." Archer hummed, looking slightly uncomfortable. "The red faction, sir."

At this point, Lancer just about had enough. His castle had been nearly destroyed, he had a bunch of new enemies to worry about, and he had several red servants outside of the room right now who were mocking his home! At this point, you could hardly blame him for snapping.

Shooting to his feet, he raised his hands to activate his noble phantasm and obliterate the unseen servants. Looks of panic flashed through everyone's eyes and they quickly hit the floor to avoid being team killed by their leader.

"Kazikli b-"

"Wait!"

The counts rage abruptly stopped as Jeanne quickly peaked her head into the room. Looking slightly nervous as she found all eyes on her.

"Um... Hey? Don't shoot?" Jeanne said lamely.

Closing his eyes and taking a calm breath, Lancer sat back down in his chair and his rage subsided, much to everyone's relief.

"Ruler... What brings you here with... Them?" Lancer asked as the red servants and masters entered the room with high tensions from Lancer's near temper tantrum.

"Well... It's complicated." Jeanne began.

"Complicated?" Lancer intoned.

"Complicated." The red masters and servants said at the same time.

"Then explain. Depending on your answer, I may or may not impale you on my stakes for trespassing on my property."

"Nobody wants to get stabbed by your hard stakes." Lancer muttered, earning smirks and snorts from their companions.

Seeing as her words were going to be the only thing keeping the peace between these two factions, she had to be careful with how she worded it. One wrong misconception and the two groups would go at each other's throats before she could stop them.

So she decided to speak from the beginning. She talked about her and Naruto infiltrating the hanging garden, the revelation of Shirou kotomine's past and plans for the war, and their betrayal and escape.

Despite most of the events happening in the past hour or so, it still took several minutes for Jeanne to finish speaking. When she had finally finished, everyone seemed to take the news hard. Especially Darnic himself.

"It's just one thing after another these days." Darnic muttered, shocked that his old nemesis seemed to have survived the war.

"Absolutely preposterous! The holy artifact that we kept in our basement is nothing more than a cursed weapon of mass destruction?!" Gordes spoke with an appalled look.

"Hmph. An almighty wish granting artifact sounds too good to be true." Gilgamesh muttered in annoyance.

"There goes another cup. It's no different than the rest." Kiritsugu grumbled with Maiya nodding in agreement.

Lancer pounded the seat of his armrest with anger. "So you're saying... None of us may have our wishes granted?!"

"That is correct. Shirou kotomine has made it quite clear that any wish made upon it will result with destruction and chaos. Yet, he has also stated that he would utilize it to bring about salvation for humanity." Waver said as he drew a cigar

"Yes... He did go on about that in the third war...ludicrous it may be." Darnic muttered as he thought back to the last time he had meant the Apocryphal Saint.

"It may certainly be crazy, but what worries us is how he said it." Iskander said with a serious look in his eyes. "The look in his eyes when he proclaimed his plans were ones of belief and seriousness. We had originally thought it to be a form of insanity, but we could all agree that it definitely was not it."

"Even in the face of several opposing servants, he never once lost his composure." Reines said, recalling how the boys smile never left his face.

"It was creepy as hell. A third rate bastard like him shouldn't have been able to stand there like that. He insults me!" Mordred growled.

"He insults all of us." Achilles nodded in agreement. "We must quickly shore up our defenses. He plans to strike all of us down tonight."

"Tonight?" Darnic's eyes narrowed at the news. "Most of our magical barriers have been destroyed during the battle. I fear it won't be enough to do more than hinder our-"

Suddenly, the room shook as a loud rumble reached their ears. Quickly summoning their weapons, the servants took battle stances as a homunuculus entered the room.

"Lord Darnic! We're under attack!" The homunculus reported with a panic expression.

"Get me a status report!" Lancer barked as a spear appeared in his hands.

"Maiya!" Kiritsugu ordered.

"I'm on it." Maiya muttered as she closed her eyes to connect with her familiars. To her surprise, she found that nearly all of the familiars that she had stationed had gone dark. However, she found one that was still alive.

Quickly connecting, she found herself above one of the walls to the castle. Looking below her, she saw several men putting explosives on the wall and detonating it, blowing a hole wide enough for them to get through.

One by one, each of the men dashed inside in orderly formation. Before the last one went through the hole, it turned towards her and pulled out a gun. Pointing it towards her familiar, Maiya flinched a little bit as her connection was abruptly cut off.

"Shit." She muttered.

"What is it?" Kiritsugu asked with a concerned look.

"They've breached the outer west wall and have killed all of my familiars. I believe they're trying to trap us inside."

"Then it seems we have no choice. We shall have a truce until we get rid of these filthy monsters." Lancer growled as he stood up and pointed his spear. "Factions! To war!"

With a roar, the servants charged directly out of the room.

(Break)

"Geez... Must you be so troublesome as to break out of your container?" Helena asked with a sigh as she finally managed to stabilize the Homunculus that Jack had given to her.

"He wanted to live really badly, Caster. It's not his fault." Astolfo said with a pout, causing the pink haired mage to sigh.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm just on a tight schedule, you know?" Helena said as she watched Little jack prod the homunculus with a dainty finger.

"Are you alive?" Jack asked with a tilt of her head as the homunculus twitched.

"I... Believe so. I was never supposed to be alive in the first place... I think." The homunculus replied.

"It was a close call. Though thanks to my amazing talent, you'll at least be able to live for a couple more years, possibly more if you're lucky." Caster said as she dusted her hands.

"Thanks... I guess." The homunculus muttered.

"Yeah, thanks Caster!" Astolfo said with a grin as he bounded up to the homunculus as he began to sit up. "Now... Wha should I name you?"

The homunculus gave him a confused look. "Name?"

Astolfo nodded. "Yeah! It'll be a pain if I don't have a way to separate you from the rest of your brethren. I've already given them all names, so I just need to come up with one for you!"

The homunculus remained silent as Astolfo stared at him in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers and grinning as an answer came to him.

"Eureka! How about, 'Sieg'? That's a nice name, right Jackie?"

"Sieg is a nice name." Jack nodded in agreement. "He also looks like Siegfried."

"Well, all of the homunculi look like Siegfried." Helena said as she washed her hands in a nearby sink.

Suddenly, the doors were forced open and all of the servant's faces scrunched up in displeasure. Walking inside was Astolfo's master, Celenike. As usual, she smelled of death which had stuck to her due to her dabbling in dark sorcery that usually required human sacrifices.

She was such a bitch, that pretty much everyone dislikes her. Even Darnic himself, someone considered no longer human, doesn't seem to enjoy her much. He just never voiced his opinion.

However, their looks suddenly turned to concern as they saw an expression that they had never seen on the woman's face.

Panic and fear.

"Astolfo! Get the hell out here and help me defen-"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off abruptly as her chest suddenly exploded into a bloody red mist. Before she had even hit the floor, the servants were already on the move as a flurry of bullets flew into the room.

"Master!" Astolfo called out on instinct, but he already knew it was futile. The shot had pierced directly through her heart and killed her instantly. She was dead before she even hit the floor.

Under any normal circumstances, he wouldn't have really cared. However, her death threw him into a troublesome problem. Since she isn't alive, no one was there to supply him with magical energy. Of course, he was still getting some from the Homunculi that Gordes had made as their batteries, but it wasn't as efficient as Celenike herself.

This obviously meant that he was going to have to be extremely selective. If he wasn't careful, he could drain himself faster than what could be supplied to him and dissipate from the world.

"Teacher! What is going on?!" Roche asked with a panicked expression as he appeared from behind another door. Reaching upward, Helena quickly pulled the young master to the ground as another hail of bullets flew threw the spot his head had been a second before.

"We're under attacked." Helena said simply with a serious look in her eyes. "Whatever happens, stick by me. I'll take care of you, alright?"

"Owie..." Jack muttered as she rubbed her head, having hit her head on the side of a desk as she dove to the ground without thinking. "Who is attacking?"

"They look... Old." Astolfo whispered as he crawled over to them with Sieg, who had been able to muster enough energy to dodge. "Their weapons aren't anything modern... They have rust and all sorts of icky stuff on them."

Peeking over the desk, Helena saw several of the attackers enter the room while the rest continued down the hallway. Her eyes narrowed when she realized what type of enemy they were dealing with. No experienced magus would mistake such a foul aura. It wasn't as bad as Celenike's, but it was much more sinister in a different aspect.

"Dead Apostles. Are they grunts from the Red faction?" She muttered as she eyed them with a critical eye. She could see that each of their weapons had been enchanted to the level of a D-ranked noble phantasm, evidenced by the purple glow they had.

"V-vampires?" Roche whispered, shaking slightly. "I've never seen one before... Do we have any silver on hand?"

"You're thinking about werewolves." Helena corrected. "Normal weapons should work perfectly fine on them. Baptismal rites also works wonders on them."

"So do we just attack them?" Astolfo asked as his leg twitched with built up anticipation. "There are at least six of them there. I'm sure we can deal with them easily, right?"

"Perhaps, but with creatures like these you can never be too careful." Helena said as she released a bit of her prana. At once, the dead apostles immediately stiffened and turned towards the overturned desk. As they raised their guns and walked forward to inspect what was behind it, one of them was sent flying with a scream as a stone fist smacked him sideways and through a wall.

"Golem!" They screamed as they twisted and opened fire on the machine that had just activated.

The golem groaned as it was peppered with bullets. Lashing out with another fist, it smacked 3 more dead apostles straight out of the room using its enhanced strength. However, the construct soon crumbled under the assault of the final two soldiers.

"They're behind the desk!" One of them growled as they ejected their empty magazines and grabbed another from their waist.

Helena inwardly cursed and quickly prepared a short spell that would obliterate their target. Of course, it might blow them all up and set the entire room on fire, but such was life. Luckily, she didn't have to blow the entire room up when there was a sudden flash of steel and the two vampires were cleanly sliced in half from the waist as a girl in heavy armor stepped into the room.

"Oi... Black servants, you can come out now." The girl said in a gruff tone as she shouldered her sword.

"Isn't that a red servant?" Astolfo asked as his hand drifted towards the sword that was strapped to his waist.

"Oh no... Don't tell me the red faction killed everyone else here!" Roche panicked, causing Helena's eyes to roll.

"I doubt it. She wouldn't have saved us like this. Still, just keep your head down until we know for sure." Helena ordered silently. Slowly standing up, she earned a raised eyebrow from the girl as their gazes met.

"Hm... Caster of black I presume?"

"That is true facts." Helena said, shoulders remaining tense in the even that she had to lob a spell.

Seeing how tense she was, the knight smirked. "Relax. The situation has changed. As of now, the red and black factions are working together."

"Together?" Roche and Astolfo shared confused looks.

"And why is that?" Helena asks with narrowed eyes.

"I'll explain when we meet up with the others. Right now, we're about to be overrun by a bunch of corpses, so I suggest you get off your asses and follow me."

And with that, the knight turned and jogged out the door before Helena could reply.

"Do we follow scary woman?" Jack asked as she peaked out from behind a couch.

"Well, it's not like we'll get any information by waiting around." Helena said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I just lost my master, and Sieg is in no condition to be moving right now." Astolfo declared while Sieg simply groaned from his spot on the ground.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go on ahead. Roche, stay here with Astolfo and jack, and prepare some of the golems in my stead. You two "

"Y-yes, teacher!" Roche exclaimed as he ran off to do his task. Nodding in satisfaction, Helena followed after the red knight, but not before sending a serious glare to Astolfo and Jack, causing them to tense up as they read what her stare conveyed.

'If there is a single scratch on the boy, I will give you a fate worse than death.'

(Break)

"Damn demons!" Achilles roared as he swung his fist and swatted a nazi vampire out of the air who attempted to bite into him and convert him into a vampire.

When they realized that their weapons weren't working on his divine blessings that protected him from harm, they decided to switch tactics instead and began to try and bite him in an attempt to convert him to their side.

His Andreias Amarantos noble phantasm protected him from any ill will and killing intent. Only if he were to be struck in the heel or by someone with the blood of the god's in their veins will be able to bypass the defense and harm him. However, attacks such as being bitten by a vampire were considered acts of friendship that were meant to make him a comrade rather than kill him.

He had hoped to find opponents in the Graik war who were capable of giving him a challenge, but these walking corpses were an annoyance.

"Watch your left." Siegfried warned as he slashed another vampire apart.

"And your right." Arjuna added as he blasted another vampire apart with his bow.

"You know, if things had gone smoothly, I think the three of us would have had a great time together." Achilles said with a sigh.

"Perhaps, but we all know that I would win, right Dragon slayer?" Arjuna asked with a grin, causing the man to sigh. As much as Arjuna tried to be humble about himself, everyone knew that he holds his position in high regard. If given the chance, he will pretty much brag about how he's the hottest shit to ever stand under the sun.

"Save your breath. More of them are coming. And this time..." Siegfried trailed off as they made it out onto the castle walls. The Hanging Garden of Babylon was hovering slowly off in the distance. In front of it, however, was a floating vehicle that Siegfried remembered clearly.

It was Blackbeard's ship.

"I have come for to get ye scaly wags!" Blackbeard shouted from the prow of the ship while waving his hook around dramatically. "Now, let the invasion commence! Attack, my brethren!"

Immediately after he said that, even more dead apostles appeared on the battlefield and clashed with the Homunculi army that had been deployed below. In a few seconds, the entire area had been converted into a full scale warzone.

"It seems fate has decided that we should meet again on the fields of battle, Arjuna."

Descending from the sky and crashing onto the castle wall, Karna made his appearance known to the three servants as he twirled his spear and blew away the smoke.

Guess who reacted first.

"BROTHER KARNA!" Arjuna roared as he immediately began blasting arrows at machine gun speeds.

"...You haven't changed a bit." Karna muttered as he began swatting the projectiles out of the air using his spear.

"I WILL MURDER YOU!" Arjuna yelled with a crazy look on his face as he charged towards his brother, earning glances from his allies.

"Geez... Talk about brother problems. I didn't think there would be anyone crazier than Heracles." Achilles muttered.

"I believe this is what you would call a brother complex." Siegfried muttered before his eyes widened when he detected a presence coming from the side. "Achilles! Behind you!"

"What?!" Spinning around, Achilles eyes widened as he saw a black blade descend down on him. Quickly raising his spear, the pavement under his feat cracked as the power was transferred to his feet.

"RAAHHHHHHH!"

The wielder of the black blade roared. Getting a good look at him, Achilles could see that the man who attacked him was most definitely a knight, but he didn't carry himself like one if the amount of madness coming off him was anything to go by. His entire body was covered in dark armor that hid anything noticeable from him, effectively hiding his identity completely.

"Berserker I take it? You're a savage dog, aren't you?" Achilles gritted as he fought to keep his footing. "And I can tell your weapon is special. Some kind of divine construct, eh? I'm not sure even my protection will save me from that."

"Keep your guard up." Siegfried warned as he swung his sword at the dark knight's back. Reacting with surprising speed, the knight quickly kicked Achilles back before spinning around and expertly parrying the blade with technique an unstable killing machine shouldn't have.

"GRAHHHHHHH!" The knight roared as he quickly stepped in and punched Siegfried with enough force to send him stumbling backwards as the wind was knocked out of him.

"What incredible strength..." Siegfried gasped as he quickly renewed his stance.

"Hmph. Perhaps the mad dog can give us a challenge." Achilles said with a grin as he stepped behind the black knight, boxing him in an unfavorable position.

"Not just him, Invincible hero."

Descending from the sky in a cloud of steam, Charles Babbage arrived in the same manner as Karna as he cracked the pavement upon his landing. Quickly brandishing his club, he quickly smacked Siegfried backwards and stood back to back with the black knight.

"Hmph. I have a score to settle with the Dragon Slayer. You take care of the Greek, Lancelot." Babbage rasped as he watched Siegfried stand back up.

"So the greatest knight of the Round table is my opponent? Excellent! This is getting better by the second! Siegfried!"

"Right!"

The two of them charged forward while the black knight and robot roared in challenge, not backing down in the slightest despite the disadvantage they were in.

(Break)

"Foolish beasts, how dare they attack my territory after it has been beseeched by a siege!" Vlad growled as he watched the battle below.

"It seems the priest intends to give everything he's got into this battle. The grail in the basement is his target. And if he's anything like I remembered, he won't stop at anything until he gets it." Darnic said as he watched from beside him.

"You being here perplexes me. Why aren't you evacuating with the other masters? You are most likely going to die here."

Down below at the front of the vanguard were Frankie and Iskander, who were the only ones preventing the Homunculi from being overrun.

"Guoh!" Frankie roared as she smashed a vampire flat and blasted a wave of lightning towards another, frying it entirely.

"Ahahaha! That's the spirit, girl!" Iskander roared with laughter as he ran over another group of unfortunate soldiers. He had several bullet wounds that marred his shoulder, but he didn't even seem to notice them in his crazy battle high.

His eyes suddenly widened when he felt a familiar sound of the air being cut. Quickly drawing his sword, he deflected an arrow that had been aimed at his head. Looking in the direction it came from, his eyes landed on a girl glad in green with cat features, holding a bow that was taller than her in height.

"Oho! A maiden archer! Tell me, could you consider coming to my army? It's turning into quite a handful out here, and we already have enough to deal with!"

"Stop wasting your words." Atalanta sighed as she notched more arrows and began firing at machine gun pace. Quickly spurring his chariot, Iskander released a battle cry as he followed after the archer.

Behind him, Frankie gave him a glance as she saw him get drawn away from the battlefield. She suddenly jumped back as a red laser impacted the spot she had just been standing on.

"Good reflexes."

Landing in front of her was the demon warlord herself in all of her black and red glory. Summoning two rifles into her hand, she leveled them at the machine in front of her.

"Let's see if you can make all this worthwhile, shall we?" She said with a grin.

(Break)

"Come on. We've only got a few more miles to go." Jeanne said with an encouraging tone as she guided the remaining masters through the woods towards the city.

"Gah! This is a waste of our time! What's going to stop that dastardly priest from destroying the entire city to get to us?" Gordes complained as he struggled to keep up with the rest of them. He was silently cursing himself for not being more fit when he was younger.

"Despite his intentions, I can only hope that he's not willing enough to blast the entire town to pieces." Jeanne said with a grimace. "Although, I can't really say for sure. It's a fifty to fifty shot."

"How the hell did he even qualify for a saint?!" Kairi asked with an exasperated look.

"He's only a saint to the people of Japan. The diocese have only canonized him as a blessed." Kiritsugu explained as he and Maiya began reloading their guns as they ran.

"The legend of the Shimabara Rebellion... He was a leader there. Other than that, there wasn't much to be know about him other than the fact that he was a genius commander and was able to perform miracles." Maiya muttered.

"Even then, he still lost." Fiore noted, keeping up with them using her bronze-link manipulator. "Wasn't he still a young boy at the time?"

"I believe so. Even by most standards, he didn't live very long. Perhaps a year younger than me or so." Jeanne said. She hadn't exactly lived a long life. Joining the front lines at a young age of 18, she died a year later at 19 when she had been captured and burnt at the stake.

"So he's around the same age as me?" Caules thought with surprise at the prospect of a hero the same age as him.

"It doesn't matter how old he is. The fact that he had planned this shows how dangerous he is." Waver said with a grim look.

"By the time the Association and the Church hear about this, it'll be too late." Reines muttered as she thought about the uproar the hierarchy would be in at the prospect of a church member nabbing the Grail for themselves.

"They'll be too busy arguing with each other to get anything done." Gray muttered.

Politics in the magical world was a serious pain. Sometimes it could take many weeks or months for them to even come to a mutual agreement.

"Wait, sister, aren't we missing someone?" Caules asked as he suddenly paused, causing everyone to stop and look at each other.

"I don't think so..." Fiore frowned. "Do you think we're missing anyone, uncle?"

"Bah! I'm 95 percent sure we left no one behind. Celenike is dead, and Darnic decided to stay behind for whatever reason. Who could we have possibly left behind?" Gordes asked with a frown as he crossed his arms.

"I can't remember anyone either." Kiritsugu said as he looked at Maiya. "What about you?"

"..." She was silent for a minute as she thought about it. "Wasn't there... Some orange haired kid? I don't remember his name but... I'm sure I've seen him once or twice."

The Yggdmillemia looked at each other for a second before their eyes began to widen.

"Oh shit!" Caules cursed

"Roche!" Fiore exclaimed.

"Stupid kid!" Gordes moaned.

"We left someone?!" Jeanne asked with a panicked expression at the fact that the person she had just left behind was a kid. Meanwhile, the rest of them were just face palming and groaning in annoyance.

Suddenly, a voice resounded from above them.

"Have no fear, Astolfo is here!"

Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Kairi immediately drew their guns and pointed it at the source. However, all amounts of hostility vanished when a certain pink paladin descended from the sky.

On the back of an eagle.

No... Wait...

"What the hell is that thing?!" Caules screamed as the beast let out a shriek that resembled the caw of an eagle.

"Eh? It's a hippogriff! Isn't it cool?" Astolfo said with pride as he stroked the beasts fur.

To everyone, it was quite the odd sight. For one, it had the head of an eagle and the body of a mare. Which, of course, isn't something that should be able to exist in the world.

So it would only make sense for the oddest servant to be in possession of such a creature.

"Anyway, I got Claues and Sieg for you! How could you even forget about them?" Astolfo asked as he dumped Roche and Sieg's body off the back of the Hippogriff.

"So... Fast." Roche muttered with swirls in his eyes alongside Sieg, who looked like they had been spinning around for the past 5 hours without stopping. Seeing this, Astolfo gave a sheepish grin.

"Ah... It seems I went too fast. No matter, they have arrived here safely!"

"Indeed they have."

Spinning around in surprise, the group saw Naruto step out of the shadows with a look of approval on his face as he regarded Jeanne.

"Seems you have things under control. That's good. At least I don't have to waste time."

"You're alive?!" Waver, Reines, and Gray exclaimed other than Jeanne, who didn't look surprised in the least and had a grin on her face.

"Duh. You think I'd let that Hassan beat me? I mean, he was pretty strong, but it wasn't too big."

"Nothing too big?!" The red camp looked exasperated while the Black camp members looked like they were trying hard not to prostrate themselves before him.

"Eh." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, I'd best be off. Someone other than the priest has to get the Grail."

Everyone stared at him.

"Hold up. Did you mean to imply that you're going to take it for yourself?" Waver asked with an agape look.

"Well... Yeah. I don't think humans should have this kind of thing in their possession. I'll just dump it off in a place that no one will find it."

Reines moaned. "The council is going to have our heads... The greatest invention of magi, suddenly lost AGAIN without a trace."

"Well, not my problem. I've always hated politics." Naruto said with a shrug. "Anyway, gotta go!"

And with that, the shinobi disappeared in a blur, running off towards the castle before anyone could say anything. Watching him leave, Jeanne's heart sank at the thought that this could be the last time seeing him. This entire war will be settled in this last night and she will return to the throne of heroes either way.

Her posture straightened. It doesn't matter now. What mattered was getting everyone to safety. That was her duty as a heroic spirit of the Ruler class.

But...

This time, she decided to be selfish for once.

"Alright everyone, keep running in this direction. I trust that Astolfo can guide you." Jeanne said as she followed after Naruto, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Wait, what?!" Astolfo exclaimed, clearly not having expected to be put in charge. Seeing everyone's gaze fall on him, he began sweating profusely. "Um... Alright... Follow me!"

Cue sighing from everyone.

(Break)

"They just keep coming!" Mordred cursed as she sliced another vampire in half and kicked it's remains into the crowd. At this point, only the combined forces of the red and black servants were the only ones left to fight. The rest of the Homunculi had been slaughtered at this point by the vampires and the occasional missed attack by the servants.

"They'll have to end at some point. I'm just glad that our masters have gotten away." Helena said as she blasted another vampire away with a magical blast that came from the numerous magic books that surrounded her and shot at anything in sight.

"Humph. At least the Paladin was good for something and the young girl seems to be able to hold her own." Mordred grumbled. Jack had vanished on her own and could occasionally be found backstabbing unsuspecting enemies from the shadows. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she sensed something approach. "Dodge left!"

The two of them dove to the left as a golden axe flew out of the sky and smashed into the earth, hailing them with rubble as it exploded in a golden flash.

Flying above them, Gilgamesh flew in his golden jet as he initiated a dogfight with Blackbeards pirate ship. Moving with speed and performing maneuvers that shouldn't have been possible, Gilgamesh avoided being shot down by the numerous cannons.

"Hmph. What a shabby looking ship. Compared to those from Urk, it is but a board." Gilgamesh taunted with a smirk.

"Hey! I didn't have the budget for a bigger ship!" Blackbeard growled as he trained all of his cannons on the golden King.

"Stop talking and focus!" Atalanta yelled at him in annoyance as she avoided being trampled by Iskander's chariot.

"Ahahaha! I've almost got you!" Iskander laughed as he spurred his chariot on, launching lightning everywhere as the Bulls went berserk.

"With all that talking, you'd think they'd be having fun." Helena muttered.

"Lighten up a bit, will ya? This is the last stand any of us are going to make. We should have some fun before we tap out, eh?" Mordred said with a smirk.

Helena just sighed. "I'll never understand you people."

(Break)

"GRAHHHHHHHH!"

Achilles quickly jumped backwards as Arondight smashed into the ground in front of him. Immediately landing on his feet and exploding forward, Achilles quickly aimed a thrust that was meant to pierce the knight's heart.

However, he was suddenly launched backwards as Lancelot's hand smashed into his face. Of course, his divine protection prevented his body from breaking, but he still recoiled slightly from the force. Unfortunately, that small distraction was enough for Lancelot to pull his sword back up and slash at Achilles unguarded midsection.

"Shit!" Achilles cursed in his head as he watched the cursed sword swing towards him. Despite his protection, the sword was still a divine artifact forged by Faeries. Even if it was corrupted, it still had enough divine attributes to bypass his noble phantasm.

Luckily for him, the blade was deflected as a wall of wooden stakes rose from the ground and countered the sword swing. Of course, they were still cut in half, but the resistance slowed the strike enough for it to miss.

"Hmph. Now you plan on joining the battle?" Achilles grumbled as Vlad lanced beside him.

"I had expected you to do fine on your own, but I see that I sought more than I should have." Vlad said with a sigh as he pointed his spear at Lancelot, who had paused at the mere sight of the prince. "Let us hurry and destroy this mad dog. Our allies may need help soon."

"Tch, whatever you say." Achilles said as he raised his spear in agreement.

Before the three of them could resume their battle, however, the castle walls next to them exploded in an inferno as Arjuna and Karna tumbled out with burnt clothes and numerous wounds.

Arjuna's royal white garb was torn in numerous places alongside a fester of burn wounds that had worked its war across his right arm. Karna, on the other hand, looked absolutely burnt. His normally pale skin had turned into Arjuna's in the span of their fight.

Though, Karna looked to be in much better shape. Despite looking like total trash, he stood tall while Arjuna was panting in exhaustion. Probably because of his armor.

"Son of a bitch..." Arjuna muttered as he stood up and glared at his brother. "Damn it all... Why won't you die?! I've killed you before!"

Karna remained silent as he stared at his younger brother. Instead, he chose to just grip his spear and settle into another fighting stance.

"You may have killed me long ago, brother, but things are different now." Karna finally spoke, breaking the silence. His eyes widened in surprise, however, when multiple stakes jutted out of the ground and stabbed into him from all sides.

"Vile Lancer. You would be wise to stay where you are." Vlad spat as he raised his hand towards him.

Karna looked downwards at the stakes with a blank look on his face. While the stakes may have been part of a sure-kill noble phantasm, they had failed to pierce through the golden armor that was draped in his skin. Raising his spear, he casually shattered the wooden poles like they were sticks.

"Weak attacks like those won't do anything to me."

"You are certainly just like how I remember you, Karna."

Showing up besides Vlad, Darnic stood proudly with the regal air of a proud man. Narrowing his eyes, Karna eyed the blue haired man with a critical eye.

"I do not know you."

"No surprise. Heroic spirits aren't supposed to remember their past runs, are they?" Darnic said with a chuckle.

"Master, please stay behind me. This man is dangerous beyond compare." Vlad said, causing Darnic to smirk.

"Yes... I know."

"If you guys are done talking, let's get on with our fighting, shall we?" Achilles said with an annoyed tone as he took on a stance.

"Yes, indeed. We must purge such anomalies quickly." Vlad said with a savage grin.

"The both of you stay out of this, I'll be the one to kill my brother." Arjuna spat as he grabbed his bow.

Karna and Lancelot simply hefted their weapons and moved to each other's sides to regroup. Before they could even attempt to throw themselves at each other, they were interrupted once again.

"New orders."

The two servants stopped in their tracks as Babbage appeared above them. His metal body was torn in numerous places, the red eye flickered occasionally, and his left arm didn't look useable.

"I see... So they're going with that plan..." Karna muttered.

"Yes. He wishes to settle things now." Babbage rasped.

"Don't think I'll allow you to escape."

Siegfried suddenly appeared behind Babbage with his great sword in hand and a fierce look in his eyes. At this close of a range, there would be no way for him to dodge such a strike.

Yet... He didn't make a move even as Sieg swung his sword.

"All of your lives have been forfeit. There is no escaping what comes next." Babbage groaned as there was a sudden bright flash and the giant mech disappeared, causing Sieg's sword to bite into air.

"What? A command spell?" Siegfried muttered with a surprised look on his face.

"Coward... Are you running away?!" Arjuna growled as he aimed his bow at Karna and Lancelot, who was also glowing with the same light.

"Hm... I guess." Karna replied truthfully. "This is where we part ways, brother."

Arjuna roared as he let go of his bowstring, letting out one last projectile with all of the energy he could muster. Unfortunately, it simply soared through empty air as Karna and Lancelot vanished in the same manner.

"They've run away..." Achilles muttered as he lowered his weapon.

"And it seems the rest have too." Darinc muttered as he saw the rest of the black and red factions appear in front of them.

"My target has escaped me." Iskander reported with a grim look. "She has retreated along with the rest it seems."

"Me, Helena, and Jack have taken care of all the dead apostles." Mordred said with a scowl on her face. "Still... I do not understand the reason for their retreat. They still had enough power to at least make this an even fight."

"Humph. They just know better than to take a stand when I, Gilgamesh, is on the playing field!" Gilgamesh declared proudly with a smug smirk, causing everyone to roll their eyes.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Helena muttered as she looked around. The entire area was now empty and there were no soldiers for either of them to use. They were the only ones there to protect the Holy Grail. With no one else on the field, it would be easy for all of the servants to go all out without issue. So why...

"A ranged attack."

All of their eyes turned towards Helena at her declaration.

"What are you talking about, Caster?" Vlad asked with a frown. "The entire area is surrounded by thick trees that obscure lines of sight. I don't believe there are many archers out there who are capable of aiming through thick shrubbery at a threatening pace."

"Are you dense? I'm not talking about the Archer class. I'm talking about the Hanging Garden of Babylon that is hovering over there!"

All of their eyes widened as they turned their attention back to the floating fortress. Indeed, it has somehow managed to get closer to them in the span of their entire fight despite its slow traveling speed.

"That bitch! To use such an artifact that isn't tied to her legend is unforgivable! Truly, she reminds me of the wench of a goddess!" Gilgamesh growled with rage as he stared at a model of the original seven wonders of the world.

"Uh... Are we safe down here?" Mordred asked, finding herself fidgeting slightly at the sight in front of her. At the bottom of the fortress, a glowing purple ball of energy was slowly forming. A clear sign that something bad was about to happen.

"Damn that bitch... She plans to unleash it here?!" Gilgamesh cursed as the purple ball grew bigger.

"What the hell are they planning?" Achilles asked as he quickly materialized his spear.

"The hanging gardens aren't used as a defensive noble phantasm. It's one that is meant to attack and destroy by carrying weapons of mass destruction. Modern firepower doesn't even come close to the power it wields. None of us can outrun this, not even you, Lancer."

Everyone remained silent while Darnic was beginning to panic in his head. If what the king said was true, then they were all going to die! His wish, his goals, his dream! They were all going to die with him!

"Shit! Here it comes!" Achilles announced as he braced himself behind his shield. A second later, the purple ball of energy shot a powerful beam towards them with a power that was compared to hundreds of magical hydrogen bombs.

"Ea!" Gilgamesh called out in panic as his most treasured object appeared in his hand. However, it would be too late for him to charge it up.

"Pashupata!" Arjuna roared as he released his noble phantasm in a desperate attempt to counter the blast. From his bow shot a powerful beam of his own that was said to destroy everything it came into contact with, a weapon of mass destruction used only by the champions of the gods.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. If he only had more time to charge...

The two attacks collided, but it was clear who the winner was.

Within moments, the servants and Darnic could only see white as they felt themselves melt away from the overload of magical energy that surrounded them.

(Break)

Naruto skidded to a stop as a blast lit up the horizon, scattering shockwaves and winds that were compatible to a tailed beast bomb or Might Gai's Daytime Tiger strike.

"Oh no..." Naruto muttered with dread as he resumed running. Jumping out of the tree line, he was met with the sight of a charred wasteland. The castle of Yggdmillenia was in complete ruin with only very few parts of it remaining.

The charred landscape brought back memories of the great shinobi war with Madara. Only this time, the ten-tails was replaced with an ancient floating fortress that was planning to get the Grail.

Landing amidst the rubble, he began heading towards what remained of the castle while keeping his eyes on the Hanging Garden as it hovered overhead.

He grimanced as he stepped over a skeleton. Apparently the beam hadn't been able to melt everything it had struck. Instead, it seemed to have left a very high trace of magical energy in the area. This much would have been like radiation poisoning to a normal Magi.

Suddenly, he froze as he felt several high powered entities closing in on him. Quickly moving his head to the side, he avoided several arrows that had been aimed to pierce his skull. Twisting his body at inhuman angles, he dodged several lasers that had been fired at him. Summoning a black rod into his hand, he swatted away a spear strike that aimed to split him in two, and quickly jumped to the side as a sword strike slashed at him from behind.

Skidding to a stop, Naruto looked up and saw the familiar faces of the rogue servants alongside two ones, presumably fill in units for Billy the kid and Asterios deaths.

"Of course all of you would be here." Naruto muttered in annoyance. "How about all of you go ahead and hightail it out of here already. I have bigger fish to fry."

"Can't let you do that, Maelstrom." Karna said as he hefted his spear.

"Kotomine has ordered for us to take you down." Atalanta said as she notched several arrows into her bow.

"Long time no see, Sempai!" Oda said with a grin as several rifles materialized above her.

"Master's enemy is my enemy!" Babbage declared as he lifted his club with his working hand.

"GRAAAAAAH!" Lancelot roared in his usual tone.

Naruto blinked as he stared at them. Odd. It felt like he had heard something like that in a video game somewhere, but he couldn't really remember where.

He shook his head. That was irrelevant.

What mattered now was to educate these youngsters on a real lesson of violence.

"That's a bold declaration." Naruto spoke as he jabbed the black rod into the ground for show, causing the servants to fidget slightly. "Truly, with all of you here, I can't afford to go lightly. However..."

The smirk he gave them next made their skin crawl with anxiety.

"...You should have brought more."

And with that, Naruto quickly activated his chakra cloak and threw himself at his opponents to initiate the final battle of this Holy Grail War.

(Break)

Nowadays, one-sided battles weren't really his thing. He wanted to face beings that could be actually give him a challenge, but he found very few that could actually do so.

He had travelled all over the world, fighting dead apostles, phantasmal beasts, and also once fought the spider that resided in Africa. Out of all of them, the spider was the only one who could force him to go all out briefly. Even then, he crippled it so badly that he expected it to take at least 1000 years for it to recover.

Right now, however, was a different story. He was looking to show off his power to people who had been acknowledge as high class beings.

Immediately, he had already chosen his target. Rushing forward, he immediately grabbed the Indian demigod and began swinging him around, much to everyones surprise.

The demigod could do nothing but struggle uselessly in Naruto's iron grip as he swung him around. Since he was too close, his spear had been neutralize.

It was at this point that the rest of the servants began their attack. Apparently deciding that Karna was alright since he had his golden armor to protect him.

Atalanta launched her arrows, Oda began firing her beams wildly, and Babbage began spewing gas everywhere.

They did nothing as Naruto held Karna in front of him, forcing him to take the full force of the attacks as he charged towards the servants.

Karna's stunned face took on an annoyed look as he saw what Naruto was doing. Quickly closing his eyes, he activated his mana burst skill and exploded into flames, surprising Naruto who dropped him abruptly.

Quickly rolling to his feet, Karna began to take a stance to initiate a piercing thrust, but he was suddenly sent flying backwards as Naruto kicked him in the chest towards Babbage before turning towards the next incoming threat.

"GRAAAA!" Lancelot roared as he charged at him with Arondight drawn.

"Begone, mad dog. I do not have time to deal with you." Naruto scowled as he summoned a truth seeking orb into his hand. Channeling his chakra, a purple hue began to form around the weapon.

"Grah?" Lancelot's growl turned to confusion as his sword broke in half when it came into contact with Naruto's weapon. Before he could even react, he soon found his body bisected in half as Naruto's rod easily cut straight through him and obliterated his spiritual core, destroying him instantly as he exploded into mana.

"One down..." Naruto said with a grin as he turned to the rest. "Four to go."

"Brahmastra!" Karna announced.

"Three thousand worlds!" Oda shouted, summoning three thousand arquebuses above her.

"Phobeus Catastrophe!" Atalanta yelled as she shot two arrows into the sky above.

"Dimension of Steam!" Babbage roared as he over clocked his suits limitations, spewing steam into the atmosphere.

Naruto simply raised an eyebrow as the barrage of four powerful noble phantasm so smashed into him. Beams of red bombarded his position, arrows of light rained from the sky, scalding steam washed over him, and a beam of fire comparable to a nuclear bomb exploded directly on him.

"We got him!" Oda cried out with a grin as she watched the explosion envelop him.

"That should have done it. No normal person could possibly-"

Atalanta was cut off abruptly as a grinding sound reached their ears. Before the explosion has even settled, a spinning blue object immediately shot straight out of the fire and slammed straight into the huntress. A yelp rose from Oda's throat before it was also cut off as the sphere expanded and exploded outwards, swallowing her but falling short of Karna and Babbage who had moved backwards out of the range of the attack.

"Lol. Jk, not dead." Naruto joked as he stepped out of the smoke without any signs of injury other than being covered in black soot from head to toe.

"What... what kind of monster are you?" Babbage rasped as he looked at the spot his comrades had once resided.

"Human. What else would I be?" Naruto said with a shrug before he disappeared once again. Babbage's suit suddenly began emitting a loud siren sound as he soon found Naruto grabbing his arm.

"How about giving me a hand for a bit?"

Babbage let out a screech as Naruto proceeded to rip his metal arm off. With brute strength, he smashed it directly into Babbage's metal head and pierced the spiritual core, shutting him down and toppling him to the ground as he began dissolving.

"Now that leaves you, son of the sun god." Naruto said as he turned towards Karna. "I don't enjoy taking a heroic life such as yours, but it seems I must end this now. Your master is already excavating the grail it seems."

Indeed. Using some kind of reverse gravitational field, the Hanging Garden began to uproot the remains of the Yggdmillenia castle. Seconds later, the glowing form of the grail soon emerged from the earth and slowly began to move upwards toward the Garden.

"I know I can not beat you." Karna spoke as he raised his spear. "But I will not back down. To do so would bring dishonor on my father's name. That is something I can not allow."

"Honestly, you remind me of that Mifune dude." Naruto muttered as Karna began to glow with a golden light. Seconds later, there was a tearing sound and Karna's skin seemed to peel off his body. However, Naruto knew that he was removing the golden armor that his father had given him. Attaching itself to the spear, it suddenly morphed into a completely different form, turning into an impossibly large weapon that should not be called a spear.

More like a work of art.

Or a surfboard, to be honest.

"This is the legendary god-killing spear that was given to me by Lord Indra himself. It may not be as powerful as it was in life, but..."

He rose into the air and drew his arm back.

"...This will at least give me a chance to go out in a way that won't dishonor my father! With this single strike, I shall inflict extinction! **Vasavi Shakti!**

He thrusted the spear forward in an attack that was so powerful and fast, Naruto could only blink before it was upon him. Sacrificing his indestructible armor, he transformed his spear into a force that is said to kill even the gods. A weapon that even Indra himself couldn't handle perfectly on his own.

It purifies everything it touched and kill anything. Demons, heroes, phantasmal creatures, even gods.

But the person in front of him was no mere god.

Even as the blast died down, sweltering heat remained. The earth turned red from the flames, and nearby trees and plant life caught on fire. No normal being could stay standing after such conditions.

And yet, the counterattack that came didn't even give him an opportunity to dodge.

Karna grunted as a black object shot out of the smoke and impaled itself in his chest. Looking down, he saw that it was a black rod. The same one he had been wielding earlier. And once he saw it, his body began disintegrating.

Still, he smiled.

"It was always... inevitable."

He muttered before finally disappearing. Stepping out of the smoke cloud, Naruto eyed the spot the demigod had been with a sad face before turning towards the rising Grail. Just as he began to approach it, a familiar voice stopped him.

"Naruto!"

Turning around in surprise, Naruto saw Jeanne run up to him with a worried look on her face. Breathing slightly, she gave him a concerned look as she ran up to him. Looking around at her surroundings, she could only fathom what had just happened here.

"So..."

"I won." Naruto clarified, but he didn't seem particularly happy. "All that's left is to take care of the death cup up there."

"I see..." Jeanne muttered as she looked up at the cup. "What do you plan to do?"

"I plan to take it far away. Somewhere where no one will ever reach it. After that, I'm going to destroy it." Naruto said as he placed his hands in his pocket as he realized something. "Shouldn't you be with the others?"

Jeanne's demeanor suddenly took on a shy turn. "Well... yes. But... I just wanted to..."

She trailed off with a slight blush on her face, causing Naruto to blink at her for a couple seconds before a genuine smile shined on his face. Reaching up, Jeanne gave a short 'eep' as Naruto ruffled her hair.

"That's sweet of you. I was originally going to send a clone to give you my farewells but this is much better." Naruto said warmly, causing Jeanne to blush. "As you expect, this will be the final time we see each other. I can't really give you any heartfelt advice before I leave, but I don't think you'll need it. You're already good at that."

"Ah... I probably won't remember you anyway. Spirits like us don't remember anything when we go back to the throne of heroes. Not our time here... past experiences... or faces." Jeanne muttered sadly as she looked down.

"Hm... I believe that isn't true." Naruto said with a smile, causing her to look at him once again. "Friendship is a strange thing, isn't it? It can break at any moment, but you remember them better than anything else. Even if you do not remember me, I will certainly remember someone like you."

He pulled her into a hug, and Jeanne gasped as she felt his arms around her. Within seconds, she couldn't help but tear up as the feels train caught up to her. Returning the hug gratefully, they finally pulled away.

She sniffed as Naruto began wiping her tears away, his smile turning sad. "Do not cry. I hate seeing people do that. I can cry enough for the both of us."

"But... this isn't fair to you..." She muttered. How could she ask of this from him? A god he may be, but tampering with such a curse is dangerous to anything that walked on this earth.

"I'm a hero and a shinobi. I'm trained to do anything for this world, no matter the cost." Naruto said as he turned towards the rising Grail. "You're a saint. You would do the same."

She pursed her lips and looked down.

"Goodbye for now, Jeanne-chan. However..."

He turned and gave her one last foxy grin.

"...I believe we shall see each other again in the future. Somewhere where countless other stars gather to light up the world."

And with that, Naruto took off running in the form of a blur towards the grail while Jeanne watched him go with a heavy heart. Still... she couldn't help but feel pride and joy as she watched him run.

And deep in her heart, she believed it to be true. They would meet each other again one day.

But until that day comes, she will wait patiently.

Waiting for the warmth of the light.

(Break)

"Oh no..." Semiramis muttered.

"What is it?" Shirou asked as he looked at her alarmed look with a sense of concern.

"That idiot! What does he think he's doing?!"

"Semiramis, explain to me what is going on!" Shirou ordered in a calm tone.

"Our pest has just decided to punch a hole directly into the holy grail after jumping straight onto it!" Semiramis exclaimed, causing Shirou's eyes to widen in panic.

"What?! But the curse will-"

"The curse will not affect the earth today, catholic."

Suddenly, as if appearing out of thin air, Naruto appeared with the damaged Grail. This time, it was glowing extremely bright with a newfound hole opened in the center.

"You fool!" Semiramis screeched with unfamiliar fear as she scrambled away from the volatile Grail. "What have you done?! You've just allowed a way for the contents inside to spill out! The entirety of Earth will be covered in the curse as Angra Manyu awakens!" she paused for a moment. "And how did you even get in here?!"

"No. I will not allow it. I'm simply giving you the Grail that you desired." Naruto said as he kicked over a desk, revealing a Hirashin seal that he had placed there before their escape. "You understand what this means, boy?"

Shirou remained silent, but there was now a familiar look in his eyes that Naruto recognized easily.

It was the look of defeat. The same look of defeat that Madara Uchiha had when he realized his plans were for naught.

"This Grail War is over." Naruto said with a smirk before his eyes switched to the Rinnegan.

 **"Amenominaka!"**

Naruto closed his eyes and smirked as he thought about what was going to happen. Sure, he may survive this, but he certainly wasn't going back to earth anytime soon. He needed a break.

And... he needed some time alone with his thoughts.

"We had a good run, Master Jeanne..." He thought as he tuned out the sounds surrounding him. The yelling and cursing of Assassin, the shriek of the Grail, and the slow warp of reality around them.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Shakespear ran into the room.

"Master! Great news! I have just finished my latest master piece! Do you want to re-"

He was cut off as they were transported to a different dimension. No more than a second later, the Grail exploded and showered them all in cursed light as all the world's evil spilled everywhere.

And yet, Naruto smiled contently.

(Break)

 **That's the end guys...**

.

.

 **Just kidding! I'm having way too much fun with this story to simply quit after this! There will be a next chapter, with the setting of Fate/grand order as the centerpiece!**

 **Of course, the developers haven't finished with the game yet, but we should be getting more story by the time the other chapters roll around.**

 **I just wanted to let you all know to stick around. This road is far from over.**

 **Also, my schedule will be getting busier with school and whatnot, so don't be discouraged once updates start slowing down. School is more important after all!**

 **Thank's for being with me on this journey. See you all soon!**


	20. Chaldea Arc

**Hey guys! This is the start of the grand order arc on my story! I just want you to know that this story takes place in an entirely different universe. Namely, one where the Great holy grail war didn't happen in Trifas, but in Fuyuki like stay night and zero.**

 **Now, keep in mind that the servants I used in this story will still remember their past war. As such, they are still the same servants I used in the war. The same Arjuna, the same Mordred, the same Jeanne, etc.**

 **Legends like Naruto, Sasuke, and the other Shinobi will still exist like canon in my story. So there won't be any changes there. Their stories will be universal in all of the worlds and act as a real part of human history. If Zelretch were to look at it, he would simply find it normal instead of knowing that Naruto was a completely different story and anomaly that doesn't exist there.**

 **It's really hard to explain in words. Just think of me blending Naruto and the Fate universe together and making it set canon.**

 **Also... Naruto's not going to be appearing here in this chapter. He'll be in the one after this.**

 **With that said, he'll appear eventually. Whether that means two chapters or more, idk.**

 **Just sit back and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

In time, the Grail war in Romania would disappear in history. Officials from the Church and covert specialists from the Mage Association were sent to clean up the mess that had been made and to dig up whatever remained of the Yggdmillenia clan.

The entirety or Romania was in a constant state of panic thanks to the chaos the war has caused. Luckily, the Church managed to cover up the destruction of the Yggdmillenia castle by playing it off as a meteorite falling from space and destroying the castle. Luckily, most of the population bought the act despite the terrible odds that it would take for a meteorite to conveniently destroy the castle.

There were always some fanatic theorists on the internet, but the Chuch could always silent them later.

With the figurehead of the clan gone, most of them had been scattered across the world doing their own thing. Without anyone to guide them, they were all laying low in fear of being found by the Association. They couldn't just return after receding and declaring want on them, could they?

However, the surviving Yggdmillenia members of the Grail war have received pardons for their crimes by Barthomeloi Loreli herself. Of course, such a hefty order wouldn't come for free. In turn, they would have to surrender all forms of research and notes from the time of their creation to the next 60 years.

This was the Queen of Clocktower being nice.

Of course, they accepted. It was better than the alternative of being hunted down and slaughtered by the Church or hunters. They wouldn't last long even with their superior numbers against the wrath of the clocktower.

With nothing better to do, Kiritsugu and Maiya returned back to the Einzbern manor to take a small break from their work. After what they had been through. they felt like they deserved it.

Waver, Reines, and Gray all had to go through two weeks of hell as they documented the entirety of the Grail war and deal with the paperwork that came afterwards. Considering it was one of the pinnacle of magic that could be found in this day and age, there was a flood of paperwork.

They could have sworn that their hands were bleeding at the end of it all.

Fiore, Gordes, and Caules had set out two reform the Yggdmillenia clan under Fiore's guidance since she was officially dubbed as Darnic's successor. Since knowledge of her succession have already been passed throughout the clan before the war started, they should have no problem drawing out the majority of the clan. Of course, being the head of the clan would be a huge problem to those who were seeking to undermine her position.

Eventually, the The Great Holy Grail war would fade to the back of everyone's minds as the years passed by and society itself began changing. As such, the world of magic changed to keep up with the times.

* * *

In another world and time like our own, advances in Magecraft began to expand itself.

While the supernatural is still kept secret from the world, there was a certain organization that was formed in secret. It combined scientific genius alongside the supernatural properties of magic to create something the world hasn't seen before.

The organization was called the Chaldea Security Organization. An organization that was designed with the sole purpose of prolonging the existence of human history above all else. Using devices that have been created using the most brilliant of scientific and magical minds, they have managed to secure the survival of humanity for the next hundred years.

At least, until a problem came up.

The fluctuations in the device they named 'SHIVA' showed that humanity will go extinct at the year of 2016. The time and place where the problem arose was Fuyuki city 2004 A.D.

To combat the threat against history, the organization planned to gather many potential candidates that could use the Hero Summoning System. A machine that allows members of Chaldea that are considered 'provisional masters' to summon heroic spirits as Servants. An advanced system that took many years of research and resources to complete.

Since they were in a rush, they quickly got the first 50 applicants and were about to give them a rundown on the situation that had just transpired before a sudden accident occurred, which resulted in an explosion that killed or cripple most of the master candidates.

Well, all but one at least.

Totally Cliche.

Ever since then, that Master had singlehandedly journeyed to the singularity and fixed it, bringing back a Holy Grail with him in the process. Ever since then, multiple singularities have occurred at multiple time periods, messing with human history and accelerating the death of the human race.

With the way they were going, things started to look up. They began to summon more servants to help deal with the threat, causing the base to flow with the presence of many heroes from time long passed. Unfortunately, when they realized that contacts with the outside world had suddenly halted abruptly, they sent several people to see what was going on.

What they reported was hell.

The entirety of the world was on fire. Not a single person was alive other than those who had been at Chaldea, cut off from the time-axis from this unexplainable phenomenon.

By this point everyone had been in a panic to figure out what the hell was going on. After a few weeks and a trip to fix a singularity in London, they had figured out the culprit who had destroyed humanity.

King Solomon: The king of Magic.

He destroyed the world using his noble phantasm, summoning himself in the container of Grand Caster. It was a class that only the most powerful of heroic spirits could fit into. They were selected by the root as the ultimate defense against threats to the entire world.

How ironic that one of them would ultimately be the end to humanity.

After learning this, the entirety of Chaldea continued to work harder in an effort to fix and combat the threat known as Solomon. Most of the staff now worked overtime, but they didn't really mind. If the guy managed to actually locate them, humanities last hopes would be extinguished.

As such, they planned to summon a servant once again tonight.

Heading towards the summoning chamber was a young man in his late teens. Despite that, his messy black hair and bright blue eyes made him seem a little bit younger than he really was. He wore the standard issued uniform of most Chaldea employees, which consisted of a snow white suit and sleek black pants that looked surprisingly good together.

He was Gudao, the first official master of Chaldea.

And walking alongside him was his close childhood friend, Gabby. She was also one of the potential candidates who were selected before the singularity incident. The only reason why she hadn't died or gotten crippled like the rest of them, it was because she slept in and ended up being late. Just like Gudao, she wore the Chaldea uniforms that were standard issue for the females. The only difference was that she wore a black skirt, tall white boots, and stockings.

She was younger than Gudao by a couple months, and people always thought of them to be brother and sister considering how well they knew each other. Even so, she liked to think of herself as the older of the two of them.

"So who do you think we're going to pull this time?" She asked as she walked with a slight spring in her step. "Lu bu? King Richard?"

"I don't know. You know it's always up to change so why bother?" Gudao said with a sigh, smiling slightly. "Anyone is fine by me. Though, let us hope we don't pull any troublesome servants."

"Meh. We've had plenty of practice dealing with those." Gabby said with an unconcerned wave of her hand. Since many heroic spirits know each other, fights tended to break out at random though it doesn't happen as much. Still, it was always a chore to deal with them. Especially since the normal magi wouldn't be able to do anything to restrain them.

"Yes, but I'd rather not deal with one in the first place." Gudao said as they turned the corner and found themselves at a large screen door with the symbol of Chaldea engraved in the middle. Passing through it, they found the summoning chamber already primed and set for activation.

Around it, several members of Chaldea and a few servants were crowding around the machine with a look of interest in their eyes. The summoning of a heroic spirit was considered a miracle back in the day. Witnessing it more than once was considered an exciting moment that all of the Magi loved to be at.

"Sempai!"

A girl with purple hair said with a smile as she ran up to them. She wore the Chaldea uniform that was common for those in the science devision. Despite being of the same age as the two masters, she still seemed to be even younger to those who talk to her.

She was actually the first person in the history of Chaldea to become a demi-servant. Those were people who housed the forms of heroic spirits, gaining their powers and abilities by drawing on the spirit from within.

As of now, she doesn't seem to know who it was that she had merged with. Several other servants claim to know who it is, but they said that Mashu must figure that out for herself.

Gudao smiled as he saw her. "Good to see you can come, Mashu."

"Yeah! You skipped out on our summoning last time!" Gabby added with a pout, causing the young girl to blush slightly in embarrassment.

"I-I was busy, Gabby-Sempai..." Mashu muttered as she twiddled her fingers shyly.

"I'm just kidding! Lighten up a bit, Mashu." Gabby said with a smile as she gave the girl a pat on the shoulder, causing the girl to gain a pout of her own.

"You're mean, Gabby-Sempai..." Mashu mumbled before she straightened up. "Anyway, the summoning terminal has been set and primed. I'd say we have got a good chance of summoning a hero today instead of, you know, black keys."

The two masters winced. Black keys, the scourge of mankind. More often than not, the summoning process would end up summoning a bunch of black keys instead of a servant, leaving them with a sense of defeat just by their presence. They had already summoned so much that the storeroom already had an entire section devoted to those holy weapons.

"That sounds good. Dr. Roman doesn't need anymore surgery knives." Gudao muttered.

"Fine by me. They don't cut as precisely as a scalpel." The trio turned to find the doctor himself staring at them, alongside everyone else in the room.

"Well? Let's hurry up! Everyone is ready to crash for the night!" Dr. Roman said as he tapped his foot impatiently while his partner, the legendary Da Vinci, stood besides him with a kind smile.

She had apparently been summoned long ago, being the servant who has worked with Chaldea the longest. Much to everyone's surprise, the legendary Renaissance man was actually woman. Or at least, that's what they thought. Turns out Leonardo was actually a he, but was summoned as a she to reflect the ideal beauty in the Mona Lisa. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to mind one bit.

It still weirded them out whenever they thought about it too much.

"Yeah, sorry Doc." Gudao muttered with a scratch of his head.

"Impatient as always..." Gabby muttered under her breath.

"He just wants to read his manga." Mashu thought with a shake of her head as she jogged back to the crowd while Gudao and Gabby headed towards the machine, the crowd parting like the red sea to pass through.

They approached the front of machine and stood in front of a yellow lever that stuck out of the ground. It was programmed with mana tracing so that it would only respond to either of the master's touch.

"We will now begin the summoning system." Da Vinci announced as she walked over to the panel and began pressing buttons a speed no one other than the servants could follow. After several moments, she finally gave the masters a nod as a signal to begin.

"You pull the lever this time." Gabby whispered, causing Gudao to roll his eyes. Pulling the magical lever was an act that shouldn't have been too hard. Unfortunately, the lever channeled so much energy, that it caused a burning sensation in their hand. It wasn't too painful, but neither of them liked it too much.

Reaching forward, Gudao's face twitched in annoyance as the burning feeling rested in his hand. Quickly pulling back on the lever, the summoning ritual that they had seen many times before started once again. A blue summoning circle appeared, cackling with energy. Moving forward, Dr. Roman quickly took out a couple of saint quartz, rainbow colored objects of unknown origin that were no bigger than a rock, but they carried a big role in the summoning system. Placing them down in the middle, several blue orbs materialized and moved to the edge of the circle.

"It's looking good..." Gabby muttered with a hopeful look in her eyes, the same thought going through everyone else's head.

The orbs began spinning at a fast pace and the hum of the machine grew louder into a roar, but nobody panicked. It was simply part of the ritual. After a couple seconds, the orbs retreated back into the middle, causing an explosion of light to flood the room as the summoning completed.

When the light died down, however, smoke suddenly popped out and covered the stage.

"What in the world? What's going on?!" Roman called out in a panic at the unknown outcome.

"I don't know... Nothing seems to be malfunctioning." Da Vinci muttered calmly as she observed the panel in front of her that kept tabs on the status of the machine.

Everyone traded panicked looks with each other before a voice resonated from within the cloud of smoke. Oddly, they could also hear the sounds of numerous Japanese instruments playing in the background.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I have heard your cries of help from my spot in the throne of heroes! And let me tell you, your prayers have been answered by none other than the mystical ethereal sage of Mount Myoboku!" At this point the background music picked up the pace as the smoke began to clear. "Yes... it is I! The handsome toad sage Jiraiya!"

The smoke cleared as confetti suddenly exploded into the air, revealing a man in his mid fifties with spiky white hair that reached down his back. Under his eyes were two red marks that extended downwards to his chin. He wore a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which there was mesh armor that peaked out along his wrist and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a dark red haori with two yellow circles on the side.

The man grinned, and everyone could have sworn his teeth sparkled for just a moment before he closed his mouth when he realized that everyone was just staring at him dumbly.

"That's odd... I'm sure I did everything right! My posture isn't bad, I made sure to speak in a clear voice, so why are they looking at me like that? Geez... this is like Naruto all over again." Jiraiya thought to himself as he stared back. For several moments, nobody said anything as they all stared at the man they had just summoned. Before things could get even more awkward, another voice rang out from behind him.

"Yare, Yare. You haven't changed at all, Lord Jiraiya."

Stepping out from behind the toad sage, another man emerged dressed in a long white robe that covered his entire body. Sitting atop his head was a red pyramid hat of some sort that had a white cowl covering the back and sides of his face. As if that wasn't enough, the guy had a face mask covering the bottom half of his face. The only noticeable thing about his body they could see was that he was pretty tall and had snow white hair that peaked out from beneath his hat.

"Oh! Kakashi! You've come along too?" Jiraiya asked as he turned to greet his fellow shinobi. "And what is this? Hokage? I knew Tsunade's gambling addiction would be the reason she stepped down!"

The man just gave an awkward laugh. "Ah... That wasn't it, Jiraiya. She just got old."

"Really? So... it wasn't the gambling addiction? She didn't bankrupt the village?"

"She did once. Me and Naruto had to solve that problem."

"Really? Do tell!"

"Erm... excuse me."

The two shinobi stopped talking and turned towards the two masters. Stepping forward Gabby stepped forward with a neutral expression. In her experience, usually confronting newly summoned servants with a nervous or excited expression showed weakness in their eyes. Especially in the warrior kind. She really didn't want another Edmond Dantes.

"You two are servants, yes?" Gabby asked, earning thoughtful looks from the two.

"Hm..." Jiraiya hummed to himself.

"Yes... I guess that's what we are now." Kakashi nodded. "So I guess that makes you our master then?"

"Well, not just me. My partner-in-crime is too. We will both be your masters." Gabby said, gesturing over to Gudao.

"I see. This is certainly no ordinary summoning." Jiraiya said as he looked over to the ground. "I sense the presence of other servants... 4? No, 5."

"Perhaps you would be willing to explain?" Kakashi asked as he gave the two masters a curious look.

"We can talk while we walk. We have to show you your rooms first!" Gudao said as he turned to the crowd and clapped his hands once. "Alright everyone, show is over! Head back to your rooms and get some sleep! We'll be waking up early tomorrow for our usual busy schedule!"

Groans resonated from the crowd as they all began filtering out the door. Seeing this, the two shinobi couldn't help but compare them to the Shinobi military. Despite being trained killers, most of them actually hated having to work 24/7. Even the infamous Root sector, with their members trained to kill off emotions to turn them into the perfect killers, also slacked off whenever they thought no one was looking.

"Pst."

"Hm?" Jiraiya turned and found Dr. Roman standing a few inches behind him with a shy look on his face.

"You said you were the legendary Jiraiya, right?" The doctor whispered, earning a grin from the perverted hermit.

"Indeed. That is true facts."

"Well... you see... I'm a guy who really enjoys reading books in my free time. And... well... I've heard stories of a legendary series called 'Icha Icha' that has been lost." Dr. Roman muttered as he fiddled with his name tag.

If it was possible, Jaraiya's grin got even bigger.

* * *

"To think we would be able to summon such famous Japanese heroes!" Gudao said with an excited grin as he and Gabby led Kakashi and Jiraiya through the winding hallways of Chaldea. "I'm honestly big fans of you guys. I've spent many hours reading up on your legend, but to meet you in the flesh is much more cooler!"

Kakashi and Jiraiya chuckled as they followed behind him. They had experience on dealing with fans like him.

"Alright Gudao, they get it already. We all know you think shinobi are cool." Gabby chastised with a roll of her eyes.

"Ehehe... sorry." Gudao apologized sheepishly.

"No worries, kid. It's perfectly fine." Jiraiya said with a wave of his hand before his eye gleamed. "By the way... does this place have any hot springs? The outside of this place certainly looks quite cold."

"Yes, actually. Chaldea really has everything you could think of scattered around. We were planning on giving you a tour today, but the summoning ritual was later than when we expected. As such, we'll be showing you around tomorrow. Sorry about that." Gabby said as her hand raised to her mouth to cover her yawn.

"Mmm... yes. Rest is good. Especially for a growing girl like yourself." Kakashi noted, causing Gabby to blush.

"I'm eighteen, you know."

"So? It's late right now, and I have no doubt that you two will have to wake up early tomorrow." Kakashi said sternly, causing the two masters to immediately pay attention to him. "Just tell us where our rooms are and go to bed. You do not need to trouble yourself any longer."

The two masters remained silent for a moment before Gabby sighed.

"Fine. Both of your rooms are down the hallway to the right. I believe they are number..."

"305 and 309." Gudao suggested.

"Those are the ones." Gabby nodded as she pulled out two golden cards and tossed them to the shinobi. "Just swipe these at the handle and it should register your signature. You'll be able to open them without a problem from then on."

"Amazing what the world has come to." Jiraiya grinned as he caught the card.

"Certainly advanced." Kakashi said in agreement, though he withheld the information about the hidden leaf having similar technology. "We will be on our way now. Goodnight, young masters."

"Goodnight." Gabby yawned as she trudged back down the hallway.

"Goodnight you two. We'll get a servant to show you around tomorrow when we wake up." Gudao said as he jogged after her. As they vanished around a corner, the two shinobi chuckled once again.

"What a handful. To think that they would be given such a responsibility at such a young age." Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh. "It seems there is trouble no matter the era."

"Well, Naruto was only 17 when he saved the world from the Akatsuki. Whose to say we have another set of young heroes in the making?" Kakashi said with a smile, though one couldn't tell unless they knew how to look for it.

"Mm... Perhaps." Jiraiya mused with a sense of nostalgia. "You must tell me how Naruto has been after my death. It will certainly give me good ideas for the continuation of my 'Icha Icha' series."

"Eh? Didn't you already get the information on that kind of stuff upon your summoning?" Kakashi asked as they resumed walking down the hallway.

"Yes, but all I got was that he became a famous hero and was the seventh Hokage. That's about it. I didn't really get any details." Jiraiya said with a shrug.

"Then perhaps I can tell you about it later. It's pretty long, and I doubt I'll be able to fit it all in the span of a few hours." Kakashi said as they approached their numbered rooms. "You going to crash?"

"Well, we've only just been summoned thirty minutes ago. I don't feel like waiting in a room until daybreak comes to take a look at this place. I'll just stretch my legs out a bit." Jiraiya said as he continued down the hallway. "And you?"

"I'll just be in my room for a bit. I have some deep thinking to do." Kakashi said as he swiped the card in front of the door. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, got it. If you need me, you'll find me at the hotsprings, wherever they may be." Jiraiya giggled as he continued down the hallway to find the bathhouse. Kakashi just sighed as he watched the Sannin go. He had couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for any female that frequented that place.

Turning the knob, he forced the door open and stepped into the room. Looking around, he could see a certain plainness it had. The entire room had the same color and texture as the halls outside. The only pieces of furniture inside was a simple white bed and a pair of chairs centered around a circular table.

He smiled. It reminded him of his own apartment back in Konohona. Not too big, and not too small, but certainly just right for someone like him.

Now that he got that squared away, it was time he addressed something.

 _"Obito, why did you have to hijack my summoning?"_

In the back of his mind, a childish voice rose up from the depths.

 _"Eh? You're seriously asking? What happened to being inseparable buddies?"_

 _"I don't think that phrase means for you to literally hijack my summoning and place yourself in the back of my head."_

 _"They didn't use enough energy to summon three servants! And you know how pissed Rin would be if I left you alone again, so I decided to jump to the next best thing! Besides, with our_ _merging, you seemed to have gained my abilities as well! You can thank me later, of course. We both know that you wouldn't have been able to pull off that Susano transofrmation against Kaguya without my help."_

 _"This is a mass invasion of privacy that still doesn't make me feel comfortable no matter how many advantages this gives me. Don't tell me you can see whatever I'm doing."_

 _"I can if I want to. Don't worry, I'll mostly just sleep in the back of your mind anyway."_

Kakashi just sighed in annoyance. Obito Uchiha was one of his friends during childhood, but that was putting that term loosely. Their relationship was absolutely poor, due to his own insistence on following Ninja rules to the letter and Obito's persistence otherwise. It wouldn't be until their final mission together where they could actually call one another a friend.

It turns out he didn't die that day, but that was a complicated story for another time.

Kakashi removed his robe and hat to reveal the dark flak jacket and pants that he wore underneath. Just like the cloak, the kanjis for '6th hokage' were inscribed on the back of the jacket. Folding it up, he placed it on the table neatly and set the Hokage hat directly on top of it. Sitting down, he began to properly smooth the fabric out as he felt his old habits from his past life get to him. As he continued to do so, Obito's voice popped into his head once again.

 _"Someones entering the room. Judging by the energy, it's most likely a servant."_

Without breaking his habit to show his discomfort, Kakashi's eyes narrowed. _"How did a servant get in? I thought the door was only programmed to open for me?"_

 _"You didn't shut the door."_

Kakashi inwardly groaned. Perhaps his days as a hokage had sullied his combat skills a bit. Whatever the case may be, he should at least see what this servant wanted. Spinning around in his chair, he stood up to his full height and faced the servant who would dare step foot in his ro-

"Wow! You're really tall!"

Blinking, he looked down to stare at a young girl whose head only came up to his chin. She wore a blue and white haori with a short white kimono tied underneath by a black sash. Strapped to her waist was a katana, immediately showing that this girl was some kind of samurai. Not one from his time obviously, because those usually wore full suits of armor to boost defenses and intimidate foes. Of course, this girl could simply have it dematerialized, but he doubted that. She didn't seem like one who would go out of her way to do that.

"Erm, excuse me. Who are you?" Kakashi asked awkwardly, causing the girl to grin as she stuck her hand out.

"I'm Okita Souji! Captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi! I'm a huge fan of you!" Okita said with a giddy look on her face as she gazed up at him with a look of admiration. "You are Kakashi Hatake, right? Legendary 6th Hokage and teacher of the two greatest Shinobi to ever live?"

Kakashi sweated a little bit at the excitement, but he did give her an eye smile. "Yes, that is really me."

"Kya! So cool! I can't believe I get to meet a legend like yourself!" Okita giggled as she jumped up and down while Kakashi just scratched his head in amusement.

"Ma, ma... I'm not that great. I'm just a regular shinobi who happened to be noticed." He said with a wave of his hand. "And how about you? A samurai I presume?"

"Yeah! That's exactly what I am! Long after your time, actually. Japan was split up into a bunch of pieces and request for samurai were high..." She trailed off with a melancholy look on her face before her grin returned. "Like you, I'm just a regular samurai! Of course, I never got to be a ruler or anything. That was Oda's job."

"Oh? I see. So why is it that you are here?" Kakashi asked as he resumed sitting back down in his chair.

"Well... I just came here to introduce myself to you. I didn't really think of anything else." Okita admitted with a sheepish expression. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as if she had just received a revelation. "Eto... How about a patrol? Yes! Patrolling is a good way to pass the time!"

Kakashi blinked at her. "Patrol? I doubt Chaldea really has to deal with threats from the outside as of now considering what has happened to the earth. Also, shouldn't you be in bed as well?"

Okita's cheeks puffed out. "I'm not a 13 year old kid! I'm 24!"

Kakashi chuckled in amusement. "My bad. Sorry."

"Servants like us don't need to sleep anyway!" Okita continued on. "Most servants just stay up 24/7 anyway, drinking at the bar or chilling at Salon de Marie! It's perfectly normal for us to stay up!"

"Hm? Salon de Marie?" Kakashi asked, intrigued.

"It's a cafe. Kinda like a place where servants usually hang out in their free time." Okita waved her hand dismissively. "I could show you... but you seem busy right now and I have to patrol."

She turned away from him with a sad expression, causing a twinge of guilt to worm out of Kakashi's heart. It didn't help that Obito was laughing his ass off in the back of his head.

 _"Way to go, Kakashi. First person you meet is an attractive girl and you blow her off faster than teacher's Hirashin."_

 _"Can you not?"_ Kakashi thought with an annoyed tone before he spoke up once again.

"Wait." Okita froze mid-step before turning to him with a hopeful look in her eyes. "I suppose... My tour of this facility can be scheduled earlier than later. And having someone like you as my guide."

And just like that, a smile appeared on the Samurai's face as she immediately began crushing Kakashi in a hug.

"Yay! Thank you! It's been so long since I've been on a patrol with anyone else!"

Kakashi chuckle and gave the girl a pat on the head. "It's not a problem. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Well that's good and all, but you're missing something very vital for our patrol! An essential that every samurai must have before heading out onto the field of battle!"

He blinked in confusion. "And that is?"

She grinned and whipped out a blue and white Haori.

"A haori of course!"

Kakashi just sweat dropped.

* * *

 **Stat sheets:**

 **Class: Assassin**

 **Master: Gudao, Gabby**

 **Identity: Kakashi Hatake/Obito Uchiha.**

 **Titles: Copy Ninja Kakashi, The Man of a Thousand Jutsus, 6th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf**

 **Sex: Male**

 **Height/Weight: 181cm/67.5 kg**

 **Alignment: Lawful Good**

 **Strength: B+**

 **Endurance: B+**

 **Agility: A+**

 **Mana: A**

 **Luck: C+**

 **Noble Phantasm: EX**

 **Special skills-**

 **Presence Concealment: A**

 **The capacity to hide from others by becoming one with the world. As a ninja who was a prodigy since birth and the best of the best in the elite ANBU, Kakashi can mask his presence completely from others. Even if he isn't trying to hide himself, his natural shinobi training and instincts make it hard for one to notice his presence.**

 **Chakra of the World: A+++**

 **Allows the user to perform any technique that requires Chakra. At this rank, a user is a master among masters at manipulating Chakra.**

 **Sage of Six Paths Chakra: B**

 **A skill he would not normally possess by himself. Because of Obito hijacking his summoning and fusing with his body, Kakashi is granted use of the Sage of Six Paths Chakra that Obito once had in his possession during his life. It may be a small fraction compared to the Sage, but even that is large enough to bolster Kakashi's normal chakra levels to greater heights. It also gives him a small healing factor, but the regeneration isn't fast. Shallow cuts will be healed easily, but fatal wounds will take a much longer time to heal. The chakra also allows him to use the Mangekyo Sharingan without any negative effects.**

 **Expert of many Specializations: A+**

 **The use of many skills ranging from B to A rank. As a world class ninja who is undoubtedly amongst the most skilled and powerful, Kakashi has mastered many skills that have made even the likes of Nagato take caution against him.**

 **Bravery: A+**

 **Kakashi Hatake is a man who was willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the Leaf Village. Mental Pollution and Mental manipulation of a rank higher than his will be shrugged off easily. This also allows him to remain calm during any disadvantage situation, taking charge where others will falter.**

 **Charisma: B**

 **He has commanded ANBU, an entire battle regiment in the fourth Shinobi war, and the entirety of the Leaf Village when he became Hokage. Charisma of this rank is enough to lead a small country.**

 **Split Personality: D**

 **Not exactly. Due to Obito fusing with him during his summoning, he can hear his voice in the back of his head as a side effect. If the two of them wanted to, they can both switch positions and swap control of the body on the fly. As Kakashi is still the dominant mind between them, he can regain control if he so wished.**

 **Battle Continuation: B+**

 **He has fought for hours on end against the ten-tails during the fourth Shinobi war. Even then, he had been fighting battles against other undead shinobi across the region before he joined the battle. Allows for him to continue fighting even when he has taken a fatal wound.**

 **Noble Phantasms-**

 **Raikiri "Lightning Cutter": B+ (Anti-Unit)**

 **A powerful lightning technique that has become his most signature jutsu. It is the only jutsu in Kakashi's arsenal that he didn't copy from someone else. Instead, it was a byproduct of him trying to add lightning chakra to his teacher's Rasengan. It requires the sharingan to be used effectively, but is powerful enough to cut through pretty much everything. Even natural lightning, with which he cut a lightning bolt in half.**

 **Sharingan "The Pinwheel Eye": EX (Anti-Self)**

 **Copy eyes that were synonymous with the famous Uchiha clan. Kakashi originally only had one when Obito gifted it to him before his 'death', but with Obito inhabiting his body, he now has access to the other eye that Obito kept. Abilities the eyes give him are, increase perception of time, Genjutsu through eye contact, and the minor ability to cause slight uneasiness and fear at whatever he's looking at. Pouring more chakra into the eyes, he can channel the Mangekyo Sharingan.**

 **Kamui "Authority of the Gods": EX (Anti-Unit)**

 **This technique is the name that the god 'Kamui' is based off of. A fearsome technique that was unique to Obito and Kakashi, it allows for spatial transportation and intangibility. With his right eye, Kakashi can cast Kamui on himself and turn himself intangible to allow all attacks to slip through him. Not even the most powerful of noble phantasms can effect him in this state. However, he cannot interact with anything while in this form. With his left eye, he's able to cast a long range form to force targets into another dimension.**

 **Susanoo: EX (Anti-Continent)**

 **Kakashi's trump card. Using the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Kakashi is able to summon the divine construct that the Japanese god, Susanoo, is based off of. It manifests as a gigantic samurai complete with a blade powerful enough to decimate the surrounding area by the wind generated by its slashes. Manifesting this form uses more chakra than his other techniques, but it is so powerful that it can be likened to a 'certain kill' technique. He can also manifest smaller body parts around him should the situation arise.**

 **White Light Chakra Sabre: C (Anti-Unit)**

 **A tanto originally owned by Kakashi's father, which he inherited. Other than the white chakra residue it leaves behind when swung, it's simply a much more stronger tanto.**


	21. Introduction no jutsu (Chaldea)

"Must I seriously wear this?" Kakashi asked as he lifted his arms and looked at the blue and white haori that Okita had crammed into his arms and forced him to wear.

"Yes! It looks really good on you!" Okita promised with a happy expression. "That is traditional garb! You gotta keep up with the theme of this patrol, you know?"

"Theme? You just wanted to see me in this outfit." Kakashi deadpanned, causing the girl to giggle.

"Maybe." They turned the corner and came across a large open space the size of a football stadium with numerous weapons lined the walls, ranging from swords to bronze claymores. They weren't noble phantasms, but he could only guess by the slight wear on most of them that servants occasionally used them.

"This is the training grounds! We usually leave it vacant at night, but you can sometimes find the occasional servant practicing here." Okita said as she swept her arm out for emphasis. "It also has a built in training simulator that spawns the occasional threats we face during singularities. They usually range from a dragon, to a demon, to a soldier, to a gargoyle."

"You mean this place keeps monsters lying around somewhere for training?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah... No. That would be cooler, but the doctor said it was too dangerous the last time we brought a demon with us from a singularity from some place called Africa. All of the enemies in the simulator are actually computerized. You'll take damage from them and the like, but it'll all heal when the training stops and you'll usually just feel a bit tired afterwards."

"Are we allowed to use this place at night?" Kakashi asked as he watched the numerous training golems roam around the field. "Any servant fighting would certainly wake everyone up."

"There is a boundary field around the area to seal in noise. I believe Medea was the one who installed that when people began complaining about hearing something along the lines of 'Gay Bulge!' Every night." Okita shrugged.

"Gay... Bulge?" Kakashi thought. "Man... This place is weird."

 **"Ehehe... Probably a Lancer Class servant. You think he wears yoga pants, or a full on bodysuit?"**

 _"Let's not think about that."_ Kakashi thought with a sick look as an image flashed in his head. Suddenly, the two of them jumped as a red latter took the head off of a nearby golem as it strolled up and down on its predetermined path. Soon, other golems began falling as more red lasers were shoot and a giddy laugh resonated from the far end of the field.

"And who might that be?" Kakashi asked as he peaked out of the entrance to see a young girl about Okita's age shooting wildly from a terminal with a giddy look on her face. Behind her, a pile of guns lay in a disorderly fashion as she threw her guns behind her and summoned new ones to her hand.

Okita's cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "That's Oda Nobunaga. She usually visits the training grounds at night so she can unwind to her hearts content. She's pretty weird, though. I mean, don't you think summoning all those guns and then discarding them is weird?"

Kakashi shrugged. "A little it, I guess. You got some beef with her or something?"

"More or less. We're friends for the most part, but we do tend to get into some heated rivalries." Okita grumbled. She remembered the day when the two of them had been summoned during a Japanese festival Chaldea was hosting. The two of them ended up eating most of the Dango and had one remaining for the both of them.

Needless to say, a fight had immediately erupted in the cafeteria and several poor golems had been destroyed in collateral damage. Afterwards, the two of them received a scolding from their master and were forced to repair the damage they had caused by hand. It was either that or be deprived of Dango for a month.

As Okita sulked as she thought about that day, Kakashi just simply smiled in amusement. Truly, these two were just like Naruto and Sasuke when they were younger. Always fighting over something completely stupid, yet were friends all the same.

Speaking of Naruto and Sasuke, he should really give them a call. He was pretty sure that he remembered the number to their old phones. Though, he wasn't sure if they kept them after he died. Knowing them, though, they were probably still alive somewhere right now. The two of them were too damn stubborn to just die. Especially the circumstances surrounding them at the time.

"Well then. How about we go say hi?" Kakashi said with a smile as he began walking towards the terminal.

"E-eh? W-wait!" Okita protested as Kakashi grabbed her collar and began dragging her towards the Demon Archer, who stopped her firing when she saw them approach.

"Hm? Okita? What are you doing here? You know I have the grounds reserved for another hour, right?" Oda asked with a confused look before her eyes suddenly landed on Kakashi. "Hoh? What have we here? A newbie?"

Kakashi just simply smiled. "You could say that."

"Oda! Show some respect! The person you're talking to is none other than the great Kakashi Hatake! He was just summoned just a while ago!" Okita chastised with a nervous look.

Oda's eyes widened in surprised and she was suddenly down on the ground faster than a Hirashin. "T-terribly sorry, Lord Hokage! I didn't know that it was you!" She shuffled her feet nervously. "Eto... Where is your hokage garb? Did Okita force you into that ridiculous Haori so she can go on a patrol?" She glared at Okita, who was twiddling her fingers nervously.

"There is no need to bow, Miss Nobunaga." Kakashi chuckled lightheartedly. "From what I can tell, we are both fellow rulers are we not? In that case, you can just call me Kakashi. I've never really liked being referred by that title so much."

"Eh?! You mean you're just letting her off the hook just like that, Kakashi-Sempai? I thought Japanese leaders weren't supposed to tolerate things like that!" Okita asked with a confused expression while Oda flinched nervously.

"Sempai?" Kakashi thought. "Where did that come from?"

 **"Well, you are older than her. A few generations I would guess."**

 _"I suppose so. Ah man... she reminds me of cute little Hinata during the Chunin exams! They were all so young back then."_

 **"Hinata? Whose that?"**

 _"Ah... She was Naruto's wife."_

 **"Oh okay tha- WHAT?! THE KID ACTUALLY GOT MARRIED?!"**

 _"Yes, now quiet down. I'll tell you about it later."_ Kakashi thought with a serious tone. Coughing into his mouth, he addressed the question Okita had presented him with. "Eh? I don't recall punishing someone for not calling me Hokage. Why?"

"Oh..." She glanced at Okita out of the corner of her eye. "No reason."

Kakashi blinked. "Okay? Anyway, why don't we continue? I still haven't seen this Salon de Marie you keep talking about."

"Salon de Marie? The cafe?" Oda blinked as she looked up from her kneeling position. "I can show you where it is! Okita still hasn't gotten used to the layout of the building yet and has a terrible sense of direction! I'd be much better than her as a guide!"

"Nani?! Are you trying to steal Kakashi-Sempai?!" Okita asked with a glare as Oda smirked.

"No, I'm just telling him who the better choice is between the two of us. Though, I doubt he needed anyone to tell him."

"Says the warlord who died because of a measly insurrection!"

"Says the little warrior who died in bed and not on the field of battle."

"Why you little-"

"Enough, you two."

The two girls froze up as they felt the command wash over them. Looking over to Kakashi, they found him staring at them with some kind of look in his eyes. Whether it was amusement, annoyance, or some other kind of feeling, they couldn't really tell with that mask he wore.

"You're quarreling over petty things." Kakashi said as he stepped forward, making the two pale in horror before they felt his hands placed on both of their heads. "I don't really know both of your backgrounds, but you obviously know each other. Whether you were friends or enemies doesn't matter right now. You're both heroes of humanity. Act like it."

"S-sorry, Kakashi-Sempai..." Okita mumbled apologetically, grateful that she didn't receive a major scolding.

"Y-you have my apologies as well." Oda muttered, shrinking in on herself. She found it embarrassing. Her, Japan's most feared warlord, brought to her knees so casually by a head rub! She wanted to pull away, but her body didn't seem to respond. It just... Felt really good.

"Now then, why don't you two show me this cafe you two speak of? I could certainly go for some coffee." Kakashi suggested with a smile as he removed his hands, causing the two to straighten up.

"H-hai! Right this way!" The two of them squeaked at the same time, pausing to glance at each other momentarily before heading off down another corridor. Kakashi chuckled to himself as he followed after them. It seems they'll still keep going at each other for the time being. Fine by him. It has been a long time since he acted like a teacher.

* * *

Salon de Marie was the golden hangout area for servants and staff members alike. The entire area had been converted into a Royal Cafe ever since Marie Antoniette complained that Chaldea was too plain and common for her tastes; a trait common amongst the Servants who had been kings or queens during life.

As such, they set to work in remodeling an entire area just so the complaints would stop. Thanks to the work of Berserkers, magecraft, and a few sticks of dynamite that they somehow had in the storage room, they managed to clear out an area big enough for Marie's tastes.

They then put the casters in charge of design and helped complete the inside of the structure. Surprisingly, Gilgamesh himself even donated some furniture that he pulled out of the Gate of Babylon. When asked about his rare case of generosity, he said:

"Hmph, I wish to put you mongrels in my debt. Besides, I have hundreds more from where those came from."

Such are the words of the King.

Of course, the furniture and atmosphere weren't the only reason why people loved the place. It was the divine dishes of the Chef himself that made people flock in groups to the cafe during their free time.

The chef in charge was an Archer class servant. Those that knew him, however, called him Emiya to differentiate him from the rest of the Archers. They all knew he hated being called that, but he couldn't come up with any other alternatives for anyone to call him.

As of now, the salon was mostly empty except for several of the cleaner golems that have been constructed to clean up after hours when everyone went to bed. Of course, the cafe still remained open for servants who chose to stay up at night.

Which just so happened to include a certain French Saint.

"You know, it's rare to see you up this late." Marie Antoniette pointed out as she took a seat at a table, sitting opposite of one of her closest friends.

"Ah... I just didn't feel like going to sleep right now." Jeanne replied with a small smile as she looked up from her magazine. "Perhaps it's because I didn't do much today?"

"We both know that's not true. I've known you long enough to at least know that." Marie said seriously, causing Jeanne's smile to drop as she was shot down. "Are you still thinking about him?"

Jeanne remained silent, opting to resume staring back at her catalog.

Marie sighed. "Look Jeanne, I get that this guy sounds important and all, but he's not here. It's like you said, right? Your Grail war happened in an entirely different time than this one. I'm not trying to get you depressed, but I'm your friend. It's my job to tell you this."

Jeanne pursed her lips. "And I thank you for that, but I can't help but think about those times. They're important memories to me. I doubt I could just forget about them that easily."

The two remained silent at that. It was a known fact in Chaldea that Jeanne was among one of the most popular servants due to her wonderful personality. Even those that had fought against her in their past grail wars have admitted that she was pretty awesome to hang around with. But there were few that knew about the side she keeps hidden. While she never really went into details about it, it didn't take long for them to figure out.

"Do you honestly believe his word? Most men tend to make promises that they can't keep."

"I'm sure of it. No matter how long it takes, here or not, I'm sure we will meet again someday." Jeanne replied with a tone conveyed with absolute faith.

Marie just sighed. "How romantic. I wish my husband had been like that."

Jeanne chuckled in response. Marie always had been a sucker for love stories and the like. Especially the ones that end tragically like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She understood the appeal behind it, but she could never really enjoy it. Perhaps it was just the weird way Shakespear's writing was.

The two of them suddenly jumped in surprise as the door to the cafe was flung open, causing the sound to reverberate through the entire area as it bounced off the walls.

"Can't anyone just open the door normally for once?" Marie grumbled while Jeanne looked on curiously as Oda and Okita strolled through the doors with an unfamiliar man behind them. A newly summoned servant, perhaps?

"And this is the cafe we were talking about!" Oda proclaimed loudly in her usual indoor voice, though one would confuse it with an outdoor one if people didn't know her.

"Can't you be quiet? People are trying to sleep you know?" Okita mumbled while the white haired man behind them chuckled in amusement.

"It's useless trying to tell her." The man said, looking around the room before sighting a public coffee machine. "Why don't you two take a seat? I'm going to fix myself up some coffee."

"Got it, Sempai!" Okita saluted as the man walked away to get himself a drink. "He's so cool..."

"As expected of one who held the title of hokage." Oda nodded in agreement before she noticed Jeanne and Marie sitting at the nearby table. "Ah! It's Jeanne and the queen!"

"Must you honestly be so loud?" Marie grumbled while Jeanne just smiled in greeting.

"Hello you two. Are you escorting a new servant?" Jeanne asked as the two Japanese servants nodded and quickly scooted over to their table.

"Yes! And you won't believe who he is!" Okita whispered with a giddy face as she leaned in closer, igniting the two servant's curiosity. "He's one of the leaders of the legendary hidden leaf! Kakashi Hatake, the 6th hokage!"

"Hokage?" Jeanne's eyes widened in surprise. If that was true, then this man held the same title Naruto had before him!

Marie glanced at Jeanne out of the corner of her eye, having seen how she perked up. "I do not know what that means, honestly. I barely know anything about Japan."

"Well, it's not really Japan." Jeanne said, recalling what Naruto told her during their time together. "He said that it wasn't just Japan. It was the entirety of Asia that made up some place called the Elemental Nations. Japan just so happens to be the place where they were most well known after it split off from the mainland." She paused for a moment when she realized that all three servants were staring at her intently. "Er... what is it?"

"You said 'he'." Okita noted as her eyes narrowed. "Who exactly are you talking about?"

Jeanne froze up for a second, realizing her mistake. "Uh... Well..."

"Do you know someone from there perhaps? A past grail war?" Okita asked curiously. Seeing Jeanne flinch, her eyes widened and her face split into a grin. "You do know someone! Who did you meet? The Legendary medical ninja?"

"Actually, it was Na-" Oda began

"Or maybe... the Hidden Leaf's Green Beast?!"

"Okita, it was Nar-"

"OR MAYBE THE KAZEKAGE GAARA?!"

"DAMN IT, OKITA!"

"ENOUGH!"

The two Japanese effectively went quiet immediately as Marie stood up and slammed both of her hands on the table. Standing up, the french queen pointed her finger accusingly at the two servants, who shrank in on themselves at the look of annoyance in her eyes.

"Can't you two just be quiet for even a moment?! It's the middle of the night, and those poor hardworking Magi are trying to get some sleep for crying out loud! If you two can't keep your voices down to a normal level, then I'll throw both of you in the brig by myself!" She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "And stop asking such personal questions! What Jeanne did during the grail war is none of your business!"

The former queen of France panted heavily while Okita and Oda clung together in complete fear. They have always somehow managed to annoy her time and time again, but this was the first time that they had ever seen her royally pissed. Compared to the war they had experienced in the past, this seemed like a completely different level.

"Marie-chan is scary..." Okita muttered.

"I don't want to go to the brig..." Oda whimpered.

"Ah... Take it easy on them, Marie. They're just like children." Jeanne said with a small giggle as she watched the two servants huddle in amusement. "And I suppose I could tell them a little bit about my past."

Marie frowned. "Are you sure? You know these two are terrible at keeping secrets, right?"

"I'm sure they'll keep quiet about this one. Isn't that right, girls?"

"Yes! The two of us will keep it to ourselves! Promise!" The girls squeaked in reply. For people who had been war, with one of them being the prime instigator, they really were quite childish. It almost made some of them wonder if that was why Japan was split up.

"You two aren't causing trouble again, are you?" Kakashi asked as he appeared at the table, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

"Eep! Kakashi-Sempai! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Okita and Oda yelped at the same time as they turned to find Kakashi holding a cup of coffee for himself.

Kakashi blinked. "Eh? But I thought you would notice I was there. I mean, I didn't even bother to cover up my footsteps." He shrugged and turned towards Jeanne and Marie. "And who may you two ladies be?"

"Marie Antoniette." Marie introduced herself first before gesturing to Jeanne. "And she's my friend Jeanne d'arc."

"A pleasure to meet you." Jeanne said curtly as she stood up and raised her right hand for a shake with Kakashi.

"You as well, Maiden of Orleans." Kakashi responded with an eye smile. Her legend may have come after his time, but it seems that basic information and knowledge have been downloaded into his mind upon recognition of her name. Presumably, it was something that all servants had to get an understanding on other heroic spirits.

"Mou... Kakashi-Sempai... You didn't get us any coffee." Oda mumbled as he sat besides them, realizing that he only had one cup.

"Coffee sounds good." Okita said as she licked her lips.

"Hm? The two of you didn't ask. Besides, you guys are old enough to go get some yourself." Kakashi said as he pointed towards the coffee machine.

"Plus you two don't really need it." He left out.

The two girls just grumbled as they stood up and left to go get themselves a drink. As soon as they left, Marie flopped back down onto her seat with a tired sigh and a rub of her head as she felt a migraine come along.

"Finally... Peace and quiet." She muttered before she stood up. "I'm going back to my room. I can't deal with this any longer. Goodnight Jeanne, Kakashi."

"Goodnight." Jeanne said with a smile while kakashi just gave a small salute as she walked off.

"It's quiet for now at least." Kakashi chuckled as he saw Okita and Oda already begin to fight over the coffee machine before he turned towards Jeanne. "So you met with Naruto eh?"

Jeanne blinked in surprise. "How did-"

"I know? I heard. Oda has a pretty loud voice, after all. And there is only one shinobi I know whose name starts with 'Naru'." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "With that said, I'm surprised you even got to meet him. Ever since he became a god, he left the place and became reclusive. He rarely showed up anywhere and I only saw him for the last time on my deathbed. I can only assume that he was drawn out by a grail war, hm?"

Jeanne stared at him, surprise still evident on her face before she shook her head and composed herself. "W-well, it was totally on accident. I was the Ruler-class servant who was summoned to oversee the Grail war. Due to circumstances, I was compelled to summon a servant by the Grail to help me deal officiate."

"And let me guess; you ended pulling Naruto from wherever he was?" Kakashi asked with a deadpan, already used to Naruto's stupid luck at always getting pulled into trouble. Especially if there was a woman involved. He was glad that Hinata never minded if he hung around girls and were attracted to them since she always wished for him to be happy because of her worldly love, but Naruto's luck with them was absurd. Dare he say it, he may be jealous.

"Yeah..." Jeanne twiddled her fingers shyly. "How do you know all this?"

"I'm his teacher. Well, one of them that is." Kakashi said, earning wide eyes from Jeanne as he began stirring his coffee.

"You're his teacher?"

"Yep. I was put in charge of him during his early days as a Shinobi." He chuckled a bit as he recalled a very young Naruto. "He was the ditz amongst kids his age. Not only was he absolute trash when it came to being a Shinobi, he was a loud brat as well. It wasn't until he got older that he managed to mature a bit."

"Hehe... He did say something like that once." Jeanne smiled.

"Then he must have cared for you quite deeply. He's often uncomfortable about talking about it with others." He drummed his fingers against the table. "So what happened during the war? I hope Naruto wasn't trouble for you."

"Not at all, actually. He was a big help and I am glad to have met him." She leaned back in her chair in thought. "Well... The entirety of it is kinda complicated to explain, but let's just say that the Grail was corrupted and could spell the end of the world should it be released. A servant killed all of the others by summoning other servants using another source of power. Just when they managed to get their hands on the Grail, Naruto showed up and killed all of them in a spectacular fashion before taking the grail for himself." She chuckled. "Some of the servants are still traumatized about that incident to this day."

"I could only assume." Kakashi smirked. "Then I presume he blew up the Grail?"

Jeanne shrugged. "I do not know. Last I saw of him, he disappeared along with the Grail into thin air. After that, I returned back to the throne of heroes with my role fulfilled. I can only hope in my heart that he didn't die."

The two of them sat there in silence, with Oda and Okita's verbal fighting going on in the background. From what he could tell, she certainly missed him and still thought about him to this day. That happened with all of the girls Naruto has saved during his Shinobi career, so he was no stranger to that.

"You still miss him, huh?"

Jeanne smiled sadly. "Yes. We have gotten quite close during the war and it was sad for us to part ways. Still, I believe we will meet up again one day. I just know it."

 **"He probably promised her that."**

 _"I don't doubt that. He always makes all of these promises, but he still somehow manages to keep them. I'm surprised he managed not to break a single one of those promises he made. As his teacher, I have to make sure he doesn't stop now."_

"Do you know if there is a phone anywhere?" Kakashi asked suddenly. Jeanne looked at him in surprise before pointing out into the hallway.

"There's a station outside that has a bunch of public phones. Why would you need it, though? The entirety of the outside world has been destroyed so I doubt there is anyone left to call." She asked with a frown.

"No reason. Thanks for telling me." Kakashi said with a smile as he stood up and jogged off.

"Wait!" Jeanne called after him. "You didn't finish your cof-"

She froze as she eyed an empty coffee cup that recently smelled of coffee.

"When did he..." She stared at the empty cup with an amazed expression. "I didn't even see him drink!"

Many who knew him would say that there was divine work being done to prevent people from seeing his face.

* * *

Somewhere in another place and time, a blonde haired man sat on top of an icy glacier as he stared at a massive golden cup that was frozen in the ice. He sat there idly with his eyes close, meditating in peace as cold wind whipped past his ears.

It has been quite a long time since he had gotten hold of the cup. The grail war was an adventure that had long since moved into the back of his mind. He barely remembered the servants, masters, and who the hell he was fighting.

But he still remembered the saint's face pretty clearly.

He opened his eyes and looked up. He sometimes wondered what she was doing now. Across multiple worlds, he knew she could be anywhere. He traveled through them sometimes himself. For now, however, he didn't feel like doing that. He still had 58 years to go before he felt like going back to Gaia again.

Suddenly, the silence was broken as he felt something vibrate in his right pants pocket. Checking to see what it was, he pulled out the old phone he had during his time in the hidden leaf. An old momento of a long distant age. During his adult life, the technology had improved to the point that phones using electricity and chakra were able to work just as fine as the phones of today.

The most advanced phones that the shinobi developed could utilize radio dishes to connect with one another. Though they had another method of carrying messages by using their own chakra for a much more effective connection as Chakra can travel all around the world akin to light in its most basic state.

His eyes narrowed as he eyed the contact. It was a number he didn't even recognize, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that someone managed to contact him in this dimension that was sitting outside of the time axis. There was no way anyone should have been able to contact him.

His eyes widened as he felt the Chakra that coursed through his phone. It was Six Paths Chakra, something only he should posses. He couldn't mistake such a powerful chakra signature for anything else in the world.

The Six Path's Chakra was the most powerful chakra signature known to man. Even with the Sage's body destroyed, his chakra never left the world and he was said to have traversed through many places. It was akin to the second magic in that it was powerful enough to traverse through worlds like the sage was said to have done, but he couldn't think of anyone else who could have this.

Well, Sasuke did, but he would contact him directly instead of using a phone.

Activating the rinnegan as soon as the phone stopped ringing, he watched as the blue wisp of chakra left the phone and began moving away into the sky. Sighing, Naruto stood up and cracked his knuckles as he brought a truth seeking ball to his hand.

He may not know who it was that managed to contact him, but he was going to find out. He couldn't allow someone to casually use such a chakra without seeing who exactly it was.

"Man... No rest for the weary I suppose." Naruto muttered as he channeled chakra to his legs and launched upwards. Slicing with the black rod, he tore a hole straight into the point where the Chakra vanished, following after the trail to see where it led.


	22. Perving Around (Chaldea)

"Hah... There weren't any beautiful women at the baths it seems." Jiraiya grumbled as he walked through the hallways of Chaldea in a defeated manner. "Now I won't have anything to help inspire me..."

To few, he was the most disgusting man on the planet. To many others, he is the worlds most greatest author! He spent many hours and days planning to plot and story of his 'Icha Icha' series to satisfy the reading lust inside all of his readers! The most graphic of content could be found within his books, rocketing him to the number one author in the entire elemental nations.

Truly, he was a hero in the community. Every single day, he risked his life and limbs to find the most purest of inspiration for his novels!

And the best place he has found to jog his memory just so happens to be...

...The public bathhouse.

It was the best place to jog his memory for the female protagonists in his story. As he found in his intelligence gatherings, many beautiful ladies always flocked towards the bathhouse like sheep every day no matter where they were. It was like flies being attracted to a fire if the flies just so happened to be mature sexy ladies.

Of course, he never peeped on less mature women. He did have standards after all. A super pervert he may be, he didn't believe in going that far by peeping on girls that were less than eighteen years old. It was the super pervert code that he always held dear to his entire life. That's what always separated the regular perverts from the connoisseurs

Since there weren't any women at the bathhouse, he decided to go off and explore the rest of Chaldea. He hadn't really paid attention much to the entirety of the facility since he made a straight book towards the bathhouse and ignored everything else. Now that he wasn't busy trying to find nirvana, he could actually appreciate what the facility had to offer.

So far, he hadn't encountered a single person through his trek. From what he learned from Gabby's explanation of the facility, most servants don't usually stay up after late ours because they enjoy sleep despite not having any need for it. It was a simple pleasure that they enjoyed to remind themselves that they were alive once.

Then there were those who stayed up without sleep. The servants who did were mostly the Caster class servants, which consisted of authors and magi who worked on their craft tirelessly. Most of them were workaholics, which initially worried many in fear that they would do something crazy in the middle of the night during their work, but nothing of the like had occurred so they just decided to let them work as long as they promised not to be too loud.

Along with the workaholics, there were the 'dogs' as Gabby would put it. Those usually consisted of the Berserker class servants or servants that loved to fight whenever they got the chance. Those were the ones who flocked towards the training ground and sparred through the night. Unlike the Casters, there were many complaints from the employees about not being able to sleep with the sound of battle raging next door. As such, the Caster class servants erected a boundary field around the area to trap all the noise inside and let people sleep in peace.

He was no stranger to working through the night, but he contemplated slightly on heading back to is room. Nothing was going on and he hadn't seen a single woman yet. He should just cut his losses and wait for tomorrow. Just as he was prepared to head back to his room, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey, old man. You lost or something?"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed with a frown as those words reached his ears. Turning around, he found a young blue haired male leaning against the wall with a carefree look on his face. "Old man? Pushing the young fifties isn't old, kid."

"Young fifties? Oh man, you're older than what I originally thought. You're not as old as Teacher, though." The man smirked, causing Jiraiya's frown to deepen.

"What do you want, dog? Don't you have anything better to do other than bark at some old man?" He asked, calling him the first animal that popped into his head immediately.

This time, it was the blue haired man's turn to frown.

"Don't call me dog." He growled.

"Then don't call me old." Jiraiya replied, not at all fazed by the man's threat. The two of them glared at each other for a couple of seconds before the man suddenly grinned.

"Seems you've got a backbone. How about a little spar? I haven't seen someone like you in my time here, so I can only assume that you're a newbie. This'll be a great time for us to get to know each other." The man said with a grin.

"Hoh? You wish to challenge the mystical toad sage? Very well, but do not plan for me to go easy on you, dog." Jiraiya said with a grin, enjoying another look of annoyance from the man.

"My name is Cu Chulainn! I'm Irelands Child of Light summoned into the Lancer Class! Seriously, stop calling me a dog!" Cu growled, resisting the urge to deck the man across the face and stab at him repeatedly with Gae Bolg.

"Hm? But you bark like a rabid dog." Jiraiya said innocently, causing the man to literally turn red in the face from rage.

Needless to say, people would be complaining about loud bantering in the hallways the next morning.

* * *

"So what are the conditions for this bout?" Jiraiya asked as they finally entered the training facility. Broken dummies littered the area, showing signs of recent use but no one else was in sight.

"Well, our masters have a few base rules when it comes to sparring." Cu said as he pointed over to a bill board that was hanging on the wall with numerous papers stapled and tacked to the front. "Those are just the rules that are put in place to make sure that no one gets themselves killed during the spars. You can read them if you want, but they can usually be summed up into: No usage of extreme noble phantasms, and to not strike with the intent to kill."

"So... Basic sparring rules." Jiraiya deadpanned.

"Basically." Cu shrugged as he flipped a switch and the overhead lights switched on at the right side of the facility. "You'd be surprised how many people don't actually follow them, though. We nearly had 2 other servants kill each other during their spar, which was honestly just a duel to the death at that point." He pointed over to a large glass pane on the ceiling that showed the outside blizzard. "See that pane? It was originally a hole that was blasted open by a noble phantasm after one of the servants got angry and started acting like a four year old."

"I see..." Jiraiya muttered as he stared up at the pane.

"Well, you don't have to worry much with me. My spear can be an Anti-Army noble phantasm, but I don't really use that form much. This place is too cramped for me to utilize something like that anyway." Cu shrugged as he materialized a long red spear in his hands, which Jiraiya could tell was his noble phantasm.

"So let's get on with this spar, shall we? I do hope an old man like you can keep up." Cu said with a grin as he adopted a stance.

Jiraiya smirked. "Oh trust me. This man has more than a few tricks up his sleeves."

"Then come on!" Cu yelled as he flashed forward in a burst of speed and gave a simple forward thrust, which Jiraiya simply danced out of the way of using his Shinobi instincts. He never really used weapons, and not many Ninja were known to use spears during combat, but he certainly knew the basics when it came to dealing with spearmen.

He deflected a stab towards his shoulder by striking below the point and launching a kick towards Cu's unprotected stomach. Seeing this, the spearman quickly pulled backwards and blocked the strike with his spear. However, the force of the kick was more than enough to push him backwards without him having a proper stance.

Spinning backwards, he used the momentum of his kick to right himself once again and began charging in an erratic zigzag patter, trying to throw Jiraiya off his game by using speed.

Jiraiya just smirked and stood there with his arms crossed as he watched Lancer charge forward to attempt another strike. Suddenly, his hair began to writhe like a living thing and expand before it suddenly-

"Needle Hell!"

Cu's eyes widened in surprise as Jiraiya's hair suddenly puffed outwards in a huge white mass that covered most of his head. He brought up his spear in surprise as Jiraiya's hair began shooting outwards at the pace of a gatling gun. Stopping in his tracks, he took back his stance and began twirling his spear in an effort to deflect the white needles of death. He struck most of them down with his lance, but he winced slightly in pain as he felt several needles pierce his arms and legs.

He would have to quickly end this. The hairs were certainly dangerous and practically prevented escape with the extreme firing speed and range, but they broke easily against his lance. He just needed some cover to give him a brief respite for a counterattack.

Quickly using his free hand, he utilized one of the runes his teacher had taught him. Tracing a rune into the air, it suddenly bursted into flames and expanded as a wall of fire in front of him. As the hair needles came into contact with the flames, they immediately burnt up mid-flight from the scorch and heat.

Stopping his hail of projectiles, Jiraiya whipped his hair back with a smug grin, which shrunk down back to its original size. "Ha ha! How do you like that? That was just a small taste of the power of the toad sage!"

"Surprising." Lancer muttered as he plucked the needles out of his arms and legs. "An interesting technique, but I now know about it. I won't be taken by surprise a second time."

"Let us see then, Dog." Jiraiya grinned.

Cu roared as he charged forward, resuming his thrusts and swipes while Jiraiya simply responded with prancing out of the way comically. For a person who had the body of a fifty year old man, he was performing movements and maneuvers that no old man should have been able to do.

What intrigued him most was the man's class. He didn't show any weapon to qualify for the three knight classes. And while the Archer class doesn't necessarily mean that you'd have to have a bow and only an ability to attack from long range, the man didn't have to tact of an Archer.

He rolled to the side as Jiraiya's foot suddenly slammed into the place he had been earlier, cracking the floor with his kick and throwing smoke everywhere. Quickly getting to his feet, he charged straight through the smoke with the intent to immediately get back into close quarters combat.

He suddenly skidded to a stop, however, when he was simply met with empty space as he charged straight through the other side. Looking around in confusion, he could no longer see the old man.

"Oi... Did you chicken out?" Cu spoke out loud as he circled around the room, keeping his guard up. "Kinda cowardly if you ask m-"

His ears perked up as a faint sound reached his ears. Twisting around, he blocked a point black kunai that had been aimed perfectly straight at his shoulder. He frowned as he recognized what the weapon was, seeing the same kind being used by Kotaro Fuuma, an Assassin class servant who he practiced with from time to time.

"A ninja, eh? So I guess that makes you part of the Assassin class." Cu spoke as he placed his foot on the knife and carefully crushed it, not willing to leave it alone in the open. "Luckily, I have ways with dealing with people like you."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small stone with a tracking rune on it. Once he threw it on the ground, it would immediately search out the target in his mind without fail.

He poured a bit of prana into the stone and quickly dropped it before retaking a stance to make sure he wasn't taken by surprise. He watched the stone shake by his foot for several moments before it suddenly stopped. Frowning, he gently prodded the rock with his foot.

"Stupid thing... did I draw the rune wrong?" Cu grumbled as he poked the rock with his foot. He suddenly froze up in shock as he felt a warm breath on his shoulder and a whisper in his ear.

"No... I'm just right behind you."

He didn't even get the chance to spin around before he felt something smash into the back of his neck, causing his eyes to roll into the back of his head and to crumple to the ground in a heap.

Jiraiya materialized out of thin air, turning off his 'Transparent Escape Technique'. A stealth technique he had created in order to help infiltrate important places like the women's bathhouse.

He smirked at the compromising position that Cu's body found itself in. Ass up, and head down with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. He thought about moving his body to a more dignified position, but he let it be.

That's what he gets for calling him old man, young punk.

* * *

Cu snapped his eyes open with a yelp of pain as he felt someone kick him in the side, quickly waking him up as he flared up with pain.

"What the hell?!" Cu groaned as he rolled around on the floor in pain. Looking up, he found himself staring at the cross look of a familiar purple haired woman. "Scathach?!"

"Suck it up, Setanta. And what did I tell you about using my name? Call me Teacher. You're not my better." Scathach, the immortal warrior of the land of shadows, said with an annoyed look on her face. "I was having a good day today, you know? I didn't run into Medb in the hallways and have to deal with her bitchy whining, but then I find YOU here in the gym all alone with your head down and ass up first thing in the morning! So before you wipe yourself off, why don't you explain what you were doing before this?"

"Thanks for your concern..." Cu muttered as he stood up and rolled his head from side to side, trying to relieve the stiffness in his neck. "I was roaming around in the halls last night, you know? I couldn't just go to bed after I was called off of the strike team, so I was looking to see if anyone wanted to do a quick spar and I ran into this old guy and we challenged each other to a good beatdown."

"Did you get his name?"

"Well..."

"You have got to be kidding me... you didn't even get his name?" Scathach asked with a facepalm.

"Hey it wasn't my fault! I was in the middle of a match!" Cu argued.

"One that you lost." Scathach said with a sigh. Certainly, this was her prized pupil. "It doesn't matter. Just get his name the next time you see him. I'm sure a dog like you will be able to at least recognize a familiar face."

"Sure I will. After all, he's the second oldest person I've seen here." Cu said with a grin.

"Really? Whose the first?" Scathach asked curiously.

"You of course!"

Everyone who planned to enter the training ground wisely chose to come back another time as a purple and red blur chase a screaming Cu across the field.

* * *

"Really? You just had to get into a fight on the first day?" Kakashi asked as he sat with Jiraiya in Salon de Marie, who had an amused look on his face as he looked out the window and watched the sun rising over the horizon past the crisp cold weather.

"Don't act like you actually care, Kakashi." Jiraiya said, earning a shrug in response. "The young brat had it coming. He should know better than to be rude to their elders."

"Still, was it wise to leave him there like that? What do you think people will think when they see him?"

Jiraiya's face grew distant as he picked up his tea cup. "Oh..."

* * *

"I'M SORRY!" Cu screamed as he curled up into a fetal position with his hands covering his face.

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" Scathach screamed as she kicked Cu's form at speeds that would make a minigun look like a turtle in comparison.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"SHUT UP AND SQUEAL YOU UNGRATEFUL BOY!"

* * *

"I'm sure he's fine." Jiraiya shrugged as he picked up his tea cup and gave it a sip, surprisingly satisfied with the taste. "This tea is unusually good... What do they call it?"

"I don't know. I just asked Marie for green tea and this was what she gave me. Apparently the person who works in the kitchen is incredible at his job and is control of all meals in the facility. Why don't you ask him?"

"Later. I'm still getting used to this new setting we've found ourselves in." Jiraiya said as he looked around. "I've always believed that the elemental nations wasn't the entirety of the world, but it is quite amazing to see how big the world actually is. Did you see the world map in the library? There are places just as big as the elemental nations!"

"Not surprising. I remember a mission dealing with a couple of foreigners who didn't seem to be from the nations, but from some other different place on boats." Kakashi said, remembering one of the missions team 7 took when they were all just naive youngsters.

"Yes... Good times." Jiraiya mused as he placed his cup down. "By the way, Kakashi. It may seem a little bit odd, but you seem quite different from what I remembered of you."

"Hm? In what way?" Kakashi asked.

"Well for starters, you always used tp have your headband covering that left eye of yours to hide your trademark sharingan, but you don't seem to have it. What, did you loose it or something?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Well... Sort of." Kakashi admitted, touching his left eye with a small wince as he recalled what had happened. "I lost it in a battle against the last two remaining members of the Akatsuki after you died. The entire battle is really too long for me to put into words, but it pretty much decided to fate of the entire world." Kakashi said as he scratched his head. "Turns out my friend, Obito Uchiha, was the instigator of the entire thing and the final member of the Akatsuki."

"Obito?" Jiraiya echoed, drumming his fingers on the table. "Where have I heard that name before..."

 **"Does he seriously not remember me? The old prune really is senile."**

"You barely talked with him when he was around." Kakashi thought, recalling the few times that Minato would occasionally cut their training sessions short to talk with Jiraiya, whom they never actually interacted other than occasional glimpses.

"Ah! That's right! Wasn't he your teammate? Kushina's favorite student? The ditz of the squad with the weird goggles? Died under a boulder?" Jiraiya asked, recalling the description Minato told him when he bragged about his team.

 **"Why that old wrinkled ballsack! I'm gonna-"**

"Well, you're right about most of it." Kakashi said, quickly cutting off the connection with the Uchiha, lest he hear more angry drivel. "Turns out he didn't die under a boulder and managed to survive when he was saved by an old Madara Uchiha who nursed him back to health and personally groomed him into a tool of destruction to cary out his plan to revive him and create the ideal world."

"So... you're saying that your former friend actually planned to revive the most dangerous person to ever live for the sake of world peace?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Kakashi nodded, causing Jiraiya to sigh and rub his head.

"Conflict no matter the era. We really lived in a messed up time." Jiraiya grumbled. "The loss of your eye is going to be a slight hinderance. You've always relied on the Sharingan when you fought against strong opponents. Without it, it'll take some getting used to."

"No... Not really." Kakashi said as he closed his eyes.

"Eh? Why?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Because... of deus ex machina." Opening his eyes, Kakashi revealed that his usual black eyes have morphed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"W-what is this?!" Jiraiya asked as he leaned across the table, observing both of the eyes carefully. "These patterns... The mangekyō sharingan?! How did you even get this?!"

"You know how Obito gave me his right eye before he died, right? Well, later in the war he turned his back on Madara and defected to our side. Just in time too, because that's when Madara was taken over by a rabbit goddess." Kakashi explained.

"What the F-"

"I know, just listen. Later on, Obito ended up dying and gave me his soul or whatever so we could fight the goddess. That wore off later though, so it was only temporary."

"Wait... So that means that you and him are now..."

"One person? Yeah, pretty much. He's inside my head right now, with me as the dominant conscious."

"So... He's inside of you?"

"...Yes."

"But-"

"He merged with me during the summoning."

"Yes, but how?"

"Magic."

"Okay, but-"

"Because the power of friendship you f****** potato." Kakashi deadpanned.

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed his head. This was more than what his brain could handle right now. He was gonna have to go to the archives later and see if he could find a book on Kakashi's and Naruto's exploits. Kami knows that he has a lot of reading to do.

"Well... tell him I said hello."

 **"Put a sock in it, old man."**

"He heard." Kakashi said as he looked down at his cup of coffee, which he had yet to touch and was slowly getting colder. "Well... I guess I should hurry up and drink this already."

Grabbing the cup with his right hand, he began raising the glass to his mouth while also using his left hand to grip the mask so he could pull it down a bit so he could just get a single drink of cof-

Him and Jiraiya suddenly froze as a sudden sound resembling thunder shook the room. Looking outside, the snowstorm had picked up speed as several dark clouds materialized in the distance into a swirling vortex.

"By Kami... What is going on?" Jiraiya muttered as he stood up. "Could this be an enemy?"

"Wait..." Kakashi said as he stood up and activated the Mangekyō Sharingan. Peering closely, he watched as a sliver of six paths chakra wormed out of the sky. Using his incredible super vision, he could also make out another shape descending through the clouds and disappearing behind the mountains, impacting with enough force to cause a mini-earthquake to occur.

"What did you see, Kakashi?" Jiraiya asked, giving Kakashi an inquisitive look.

Kakashi just closed his eyes with a small smile.

"An old friend."

* * *

Servant Stat Sheet:

Class: Assassin

Master: Gudao, Gabby

Identity: Jiraiya

Titles: The Pervert Without Equal, The Legendary Toad Sage, Third of the legendary Sannin.

Sex: Male

Height/weight: 191.2 cm/87.5 kg

Alignment: Lawful good

Strength: B+

Endurance: B+

Agility: A+

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: A

Abilities and Skills:

Presence Concealment: A

The Capacity to hide from others by becoming one with the world. As one of the three legendary sannin and has experience running a large intelligence network, this rank is just as high as Kakashi.

Chakra of the world: A+++

Allows the user to use any technique that requires Chakra.

Experts of many specializations: A++

Jiraiya, despite his demeanor that doesn't really contrast with a shinobi, is one of the most oldest and professional shinobi to ever walk the nations. He has a vast knowledge of information that gives him an advantage over most shinobi, allowing him to perform a bit of any kind of Jutsu like a jack-of-all-trades. His wealth of knowledge also doesn't extend to simply killing others, though he is quite talented at that.

Things like cooking, information gathering, creation of seals and poisons are just a small fraction of what the great toad sage truly knows.

Bravery A+

Doesn't really need to be explained.

Battle Continuation: B+

Jiraiya, just like Kakashi, dedicated his entire life to the village and also finding some kind of answer to world peace. In a battle against his former student, he was ganged up and beaten up so bad that escape was impossible. Using the last of his strength, he was able to create a secret message and send it to the village before finally being killed when he was sunk into a lake.

Wisdom of a Sage: A

As a teacher who has mentored several of the most powerful Shinobi of all time, this ability allows Jiraiya to mentor and teach others skills with a proficiency of B to A rank.

Noble Phantasms:

 **Contract of Mt. Myoboku: A**

 **The Summoning Contract that Jiraiya has formed with the toads of Mt. Myoboku. With it, he is able to summon any toad from Mt. Myoboku with a small amount of blood. Each toad varies in power, but are each versatile enough to be useful for any engagement.**

 **Sage mode: B**

 **Powerful Chakra that greatly enhances the users speed, strength, and durability to points normally unheard of for normal Chakra. To utilize it, Jiraiya must activate Sage Mode to harness the nature energy around him. Doing so in the middle of battle, however, is too dangerous as the activation requires the user to remain motionless for several minutes as they gathered up chakra.**

 **Jiraiya is also not a true master of entering this mode, dropping the rank from an A to a B. Since he isn't a master like his own student, he must utilize other means to gain this energy and activate the noble phantasm.**

 **Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi: A**

 **One of the first books that Jiraiya has ever written. It sold poorly when it was first sold, but Jiraiya has always kept it around with him. Written in dedication to several of his students, it's more of an autobiography than an actual story. Despite being left in the shadows of his much more famous 'Icha Icha' series for touching the hearts of perverts everywhere, this book was the one to change the fates of two of his students. One who has fallen into doubt, and another who has lost his way.**

 **This book is a powerful noble phantasm that is not tied towards fighting. Rather, it touches the souls of those closest to Jiraiya. Writing in the book allows for him to make people materialize into their ideal self, similar to Hans Christian Anderson's own noble phantasm. However, it doesn't just make one person into their ideal self, but rather those who he has included in his story.**

 **Starting from scratch, it takes time for Jiraiya to create a story and is more of a biography than an actual book, documenting anything he finds interesting and inspiring and putting it into his story. The effects will only occur when the book finishes, but given how Jiraiya is always working on it, it won't take effect until his death.**


	23. Knock before entering (Chaldea)

Everyone in the science devision was running around in a panic like headless chickens complete with screaming and squawking.

The numerous machinery that have been set up to monitor changes in power and fluctuations in the timeline were going absolutely haywire. The needles that usually sat in a neutral position had all but zipped straight towards the danger outline highlighted in red.

"What the hell is this?!"

"These readings are off the scale!"

"The numbers are comparable to a Grand!"

"Is it the King of Magic?!"

"We're all gonna die!"

Kakashi and Jiraiya decided to just leave the eggheads to their jobs and continued down the hallway, passing servants and other scientists as they tried to figure out what the hell was going on. None of them even batted an eye towards the new duo as they scurried around.

"How come you didn't tell me about this earlier? He was my student, you know." Jiraiya whispered discreetly.

"Naruto was also my student as well. If you hadn't ran off to find the nearest bathhouse, I would have told you about it." Kakashi said with an annoyed tone.

"Still, you could have mentioned something earlier. Anything related to Naruto is something that should be informed of to me, his godfather." Jiraiya muttered, not liking secrets being kept from him. "So... Six Paths Chakra."

"Yeah. Special Chakra unique to the Six Paths... and Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi said as they rounded the corner. "Obito came into contact with it for extended times in his own body. Since he has merged with me, I gained the ability to use it. It's nowhere near the amount the original even had, though."

"I would expect so. You've got to let me examine you later so I can analyze the Chakra. Who knows? I might be able to replicate it slightly to an extent." Jiraiya said with a thoughtful look.

"You're starting to sound like Orochimaru and Hiruko. Don't tell me you've been influenced by your psychopathic teammate?" Kakashi asked, remembering all sorts of atrocities that Orochimaru has committed in search for the power of immortality.

"Tch, don't be ridiculous." Jiraiya crossed his arms, seemingly offended at being compared to his former teammate. "I don't go around cutting everything I see and sticking tubes into them for shits and giggles."

"Sure..." Kakashi muttered. The two of them suddenly froze as they turned the corner and found Gabby walking down the hallway with three servants walking behind her. Jeanne was the only servant that he recognized, with the other two being ones he hadn't met yet.

One of them was a young man with a green hood and cloak that draped over his shoulders, covering the blue armor that he wore beneath it. He smoked a small cigar, letting wisps of smoke drift upwards. Fitted on his arm was a mechanical green crossbow that was built to be compact enough to fit inside a sleeve without giving itself away.

The last servant behind him was a young girl who strangely looked quite similar to Jeanne, but she was undoubtedly different. Her hair was short and messily braided into a ponytail and She wore heavy white armor with red patterns running up and down it. In her hands was a heavy sword that she held quite easily despite her short size.

One look at her and both Shinobi could tell that she had died at a young age. Her posture screamed impatient, and her edgy and rough looks showed that she was a very aggressive person that would handle problems with their fists and weapons instead of standing by idly and observing the situation like a normal person. People like them were mostly heroic, but lived very short lives.

When Gabby saw them, she abruptly stopped in her tracks and gave them a grin, halting the group. Walking over to the two of them, the redhead master placed her hands on her hips.

"Good morning, Kakashi-san, Jiraiya-san. Jeanne told me that you two have stayed up all night." Gabby said with a smile.

"Yeah, the two of us couldn't sleep." Kakashi said with a chill tone as he looked over the three servants, giving Jeanne a small nod in greeting which she returned. "So whose greenie and the runt?"

"The hell are you calling runt?!" The girl growled, looking like she was about to start swinging around her sword before the man in the hood spoke up.

"Ma... Don't be so cold with that nickname. Green is the best color there is." The man said as he took the cigar out of his mouth and bowed, though one couldn't call it one with respect. "Names Robin Hood, thief extraordinaire and Prince of Thieves. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is my gig, though I haven't been doing much of that recently."

"Hmph. How a shameless fool like you could ever share the same land as me is insulting." The girl muttered with an annoyed tone. "Forget the archer class, you're more suited in the cowardly Assassin class."

"I won't deny that. Compared to everyone else, I'm pretty subpar with the bow. But you wanna know what I do better than them? I get the job done." The man replied cheerfully, not caring at all for her vulgar description. "And what about you? You're a little child who committed genocide because your daddy, or mommy really, didn't give you what you wanted. It should be me who is disgraced by your presence."

"Why you little..." The girl growled as the gauntlet holding her sword clenched in anger.

"Robin, Mordred, that's enough." Jeanne intervened, getting between the two of them with a look of exasperation. "We are here to figure out what the anomaly is that has caused this massive uproar. The seriousness of the situation is beyond anything of the past if it turns out to actually be Solomon. If that is the case, fighting between allies will only hinder us."

"And who are you to give me orders, woman?" Mordred growled.

"I'm not giving you an order, I'm telling you the truth." Jeanne replied, staring back unflinchingly. "You need to control your temper more, Mordred. Arturia wouldn't let her anger get the better of her."

Mordred's gauntlet squeezed tighter around her sword, making it shake with the sheer amount of pressure. For a moment, it would seem that Mordred would ignore Jeanne's warnings and simply launch herself at the green-hooded archer, but she simply huffed and looked away.

"Whatever... His blood isn't fit for my sword anyway."

"You really need to learn how to chill." Robin grumbled, only for Jeanne to turn towards him with an accusing look.

"As for you, you need to watch your words." Jeanne spoke, then added in a whisper, "You know how her past is like."

This time, it was Robin's turn to be uncomfortable. As a fellow heroic spirit from Britain, it was normal of him to know the legend of the great king Arthur. He was also no stranger to the fact that Mordred herself was the king's son/daughter, holding a slight grudge against each other due to personal issues.

So it wasn't really surprising when the first thing Mordred did when she found out that her father was here is to challenge him to a duel. Arturia won the duel of course, just like last time, but it really did nothing good for their already broken relationship.

Jeanne herself has been trying to get the two of them back together and she did to a certain extent, but they still haven't lost their old grudges towards each other.

"Quite the handful those two are." Jiraiya noted, watching the scene in front of them.

Gabby sighed. "You have no idea. If it weren't for Jeanne, Chaldea would have been destroyed a thousand times over before we could do anything." She gestured out the window towards the storm off in the distance. "And with something like this, it's best to bring Jeanne along to make sure that everyone actually does their job."

"It's always good to include a smart woman in a group. Nothing is better at keeping a team together that that. " Jiraiya nodded sagely in agreement while Kakashi just sighed.

"Well, he's not exactly wrong." He trailed off before shaking his head. "Anyway, it seems like the three of you have got this under control. Good luck with your mission and be cautious. Whatever flew out of those clouds is definitely troublesome."

"Yes, I can only hope that things go well. If it turns out to be an enemy, I believe one of us will be fast enough to get back to base and warn everyone." Gabby muttered, calming herself to prepare for the numerous possibilities that could occur. Suddenly a thought popped into her head as Kakashi and Jiraiya were walking away.

"Wait a moment... You speak as if you know what is going on." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you have an idea? Are you hiding something?"

"See for yourself. If it's who I think it is, you'll find trouble either way." Kakashi said vaguely as he resumed walking. "Just proceed with caution. You don't know what you're dealing with."

"But you obviously do."

"So what? You want me to tag along?"

"You would certainly be helpful."

Kakashi pondered on that for a moment. The person had descended from the sky immediately after the six paths chakra returned to him. As far as he knew, Naruto would be the most likely candidate to appear.

However, he knew exactly how the mind of a shinobi worked. Once you were in the game as long as Naruto, those kinds of reflexes and training never leave you. Not even if you were hundreds of years old. Naruto would be on guard even before he has gotten here. If that was the case, there was no way to tell how he would react to being intercepted by several servants in such violent weather. If Naruto was anything like he remembered, he would probably make the most brash choice he could possibly think of.

Then there was the possibility of it being Sasuke Uchiha, the only other person he could think of that would be able to track the chakra all the way here. His second student may have learned to take things slower thanks to Naruto, but the chances of him killing everything is much higher. Either way, the two of them were a handful to deal with.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to come along. You need a real warrior on your team." Kakashi said as he gave a sideways glance towards the trio of servants who continued to bicker amongst themselves like children. Mordred was growling threats at Robin, who in turn ignored her with a fold of his arms. Jeanne simply stood between them with an exasperated expression.

They reminded him of them before they grew up.

His eyes softened a bit. "Yeah, you'll definitely need me to come along. You need an experienced warrior on your team."

"Mmm." Jiraiya hummed as he also watched the trio with a forlorn expression. "If that's the case, I'll stay behind. Kakashi should be more than enough help."

"Sounds great." Gabby let out a triumphant smile. Having one of them was better than none. "Whenever you're ready, we'll move out. Just don't take longer than ten minutes, alright?"

Kakashi nodded before heading off back to his room to prepare. He had spent the remainder of his night making several tools that might be useful for him. Perhaps now would be a good time for him to test it.

* * *

Several quick minutes later, Kakashi found himself trudging through the thick blizzard with the rest of the servants as they headed towards the area that the eggheads had said most of the power had gathered.

He tucked the cloak closer to him as they pressed forward. As a servant, he didn't actually need a cloak to protect him from the cold, but the blizzard that had kicked up was starting to interfere badly with not only his vision, but with the rest of the group.

He quietly glanced at the rest of the servants that he would be working with. Mordred herself seemed to be fine, donning her large helmet to prevent herself from being buffeted by the blizzard, but she was also struggling to move as she found herself sinking into the snow with every step being weighed down by her armor.

Robin wasn't doing much better. He didn't possess the sheer strength that Mordred has, forcing him to follow in Mordred's footsteps for easier mobility. Jeanne and Gabby, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered at all by the snow. The maid of orleans had her stand unraveled, bathing the area is a soft light that seemed to part everything around the duo like Moses and the red sea. It was most definitely her noble phantasm, using magic or something to that effect to shield her.

He felt a twinge of jealousy. That would have been a nice ability to have. It'd save him the trouble of kicking snow out of his way. It wasn't his fault that most shinobi never had any experience with snow. The entirety of the elemental nations was mostly too hot for snow. Even when it snowed in December, most of the Shinobi never operated because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of the cold.

"Are were getting close?" Mordred asked as she kicked a pile of snow in front of her in annoyance. "I'm sick of all this walking."

"We should be getting close." Jeanne said patiently. "The cause of this disturbance should just be over this mountain. Please be on guard."

"Another one? Geez, why'd you have to pick me for this job, master? You know I'm not cut out for this kind of weather." Robin complained as he brushed off some snow that had begun to form on his cloak.

"You're the only one other than the Hassans that is able to disengage silently in the midst of battle. Should we all end up dying, I'm trusting you to be able to inform everyone back at Chaldea." Gabby replied with an eye-roll. "We discussed this earlier before we set off. Were you not paying attention?"

Robin shrugged. "I don't know. It sounded like a good idea at the time since it'll let me get away from that dragon-girl." He grumbled the last part with a twinge of annoyance. "Now though, this doesn't seem as good as I thought it'd be. I have little to no experience in sneaking around in the snow, and I doubt it'll be easy for me to hide my tracks."

"Then we can only hope that he'll be more focused on us than you. Our combined presence should cover up your smaller form." Jeanne said.

"Gee, thanks. You humble this little Archer." Robin grumbled sarcastically.

"To be fair, you already are a mediocre Archer." Mordred said with a smug tone.

"For the last time, I'm not a mediocre Archer! Compared to people like Arjuna with his stupid fire bow, and Atalanta's own celestial bow, my Yew bow isn't exactly in the top tier." Robin argued. He didn't mind if people said that he wasn't the most powerful heroic spirit, because he knew that's not true. When people start calling him the worst Archer, that's when he starts to get triggered. He was just a freaking bandit for christ sake! He wasn't a demigod with bows that could launch nukes with a pull of the string!

Kakashi just chuckled lightly as he watched Mordred and Robin trade insults while Jeanne and Gabby just rolled their eyes. It seems that these people can still find ways to lighten up the mood, no matter how serious they may be.

 **"Hey, Kakashi."**

Truly, they did remind him of his old team.

 **"Kakashi!"**

Perhaps he could find himself another team to take care of...

 **"Damn it Kakashi, watch your left!"**

"My wha-"

A split second later, he found himself sailing through the air before he could even finish his thought. With a loud explosion, he crashed directly into the mountain side, which caused the earth to rumble from the shock.

"Kakashi!" Gabby screamed in shock.

"The hell was that?!" Mordred exclaimed as she drew her sword.

"An assassin no doubt. Whoever is doing this is using the blizzard as cover." Robin said as he quickly fitted some arrows into his crossbow. "I'll stick to the shadows. Try to draw him out." And with that, he wrapped himself in his green cloak and disappeared from sight like he vanished into thin air. This was his hidden noble phantasm: **No Face May King,** the special cloak that hid his scent from the world by being one with nature.

"Master, I suggest you stay close to me." Jeanne said seriously, gently grabbing Gabby's hand and pulling her towards her. "I do not have faith in my combat abilities to fight against this unseen foe. I suggest we let Mordred deal with this."

"Good idea." Gabby muttered as she with drew her hands from her coat and activated her magic circuits. She may not be of much use against a servant, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. "Can you sense our attacker's presence through this storm?"

Jeanne nodded before she closed her eyes in concentration and casted her senses outwards through the entire area. From a nearby tree line to her left, she could sense Robin in his cloaked form hiding amongst the frozen trees. To her front right, she could sense Mordred standing on guard with her sword at the ready, willing to cut down anything that would appear in her sights.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open in shock as she felt another presence enter her senses. It was a powerful signature, dwarfing her own and the rest of the servants by a landslide. Despite this, she could sense that such power seemed to be contained and stored away, almost as if it's being kept in reserves.

Her breath caught in her throat, but it was not because of fear.

It was him. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind as to who it was they were facing. She would never forget the signature of one of her closest friend in the Grail War.

She wanted nothing more than to run up to him and give him a hug, but she realized that now was not the time.

"Mordred! Above you!" She shouted.

Mordred turned towards her in confusion, causing Jeanne to realize that Modred couldn't hear her at all through the snowstorm. Luckily, the blonde's trained instincts kicked in when she saw a black shadow growing in front of her. Using prana burst, her sword immediately exploded to the left as the Prana propelled her sword around, using her momentum to spin around and identify the threat.

A figure descended upon her, thrusting its hand towards her face. Mordred aimed her blade to intercept, expecting her sword to cleave straight down the person's arm, only for her eyes to widen in shock as her sword was halted in its tracks. Looking closely, she could see the figure wrap his hands around her sword and grasp it without hesitation. She gave a yelp of surprise as she was suddenly yanked off her feet when the man lifted her sword up and threw her in a random direction, causing her to disappear in the blizzard.

"Shit." Gabby cursed as she eyed the figure, trying to find anything of notable interest that could possibly give them a clue to their assailants identity. Unfortunately, the perpetrator was completely covered in snow, hiding anything of note. "What is he? I can't make anything out other than the fact that his power is enormous." Checking her device that was given to her by Roman, she saw the waves on the computer bounce up and down in an erratic pattern.

Jeanne drew her banner and stepped in front of Gabby, ready to defend her if they ended up getting attacked in confusion. "That astounding strength... It's really you."

The figure paused for a moment as it stopped in front of her. Before she could call out to him and confirm whether or not he really was Naruto, their assailant suddenly grunted in surprise as he felt something touch his leg. Looking down, he could make out the small form of thin wire that had been wrapped around his leg. The figure suddenly cursed as he fell forward onto his face as something yanked at the wire, dragging him backwards into the snowstorm.

"Wait!" Jeanne called out, surprised at what just happened. She was just about to follow after him when Gabby grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Forget about him for a moment, Jeanne. We have to make sure that Mordred is alright. Arturia won't be happy if she dies out here with us around." Gabby said, trying to find the rowdy blonde.

Jeanne wanted to argue, but she just nodded anyway. Gabby was right, after all. Her duty as a saint required her to treat the injured before going after her personal concerns.

Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Kakashi didn't think that Naruto could have gotten any more beefed up than he was the last time they had met.

He was terribly wrong.

Upon dragging the confused Naruto away from his comrades, he engaged him in a close quarters taijutsu battle in an attempt to reason with him. Unfortunately, Naruto seemed to be acting on instinct and was trying to beat him into submission, nearly smashing his body into hundreds of pieces several times.

"Damn it... He hasn't changed at all." Kakashi inwardly groaned as he narrowly ducked under a fist and countered with a punch of his own. "Damn it Naruto, can't you see that it's me?!"

 **"I don't think he can hear you over the storm."**

 _"Shut up Obito, I'm trying to work on a plan."_

 **"Why don't you just flare up your chakra? Surely it'll stun him enough for you to reason with him without getting killed."**

 _"That's... not a bad idea actually."_

Quickly moving back to gain some distance, Kakashi took a stance with his arms at his side and flared up his chakra like he was trying to dispel a genjutsu that had been placed on him. As the release of his chakra washed over the area, Naruto stopped in his tracks in confusion.

"Wait... what am I sensing right now?" Naruto muttered in confusion. "I'm sensing six paths chakra... but I'm also sensing kakashi-sensei's chakra." His face scrunched up. "But... It's not exactly Kakashi-sensei's chakra signature." He turned towards Kakashi. "I see..."

"Indeed." Kakashi nodded. Finally realizing that he managed to finally get his old student to stop trying to kill me. "I-

"You're an imposter!"

Kakashi blinked. "Eh?"

"Don't think you can fool me!" Naruto exclaimed dramatically, pointing his finger at Kakashi. "Your chakra may resemble Kakashi's own chakra, but it is not the same! You must be some kind of copy... The nerve of you."

"By Kami, Naruto, it's me!" Kakashi shouted in exasperation.

"Then prove it! Say something that only the original would know!"

"You're Naruto Uzumaki! One of my first students! You're the son of the fourth hokage and the host of the nine tails! When you returned with Jiraiaya during your training trip, you gave me a special edition Icha Icha paradise book that hadn't been released at the time!"

Naruto paused. "Which Icha Icha was it?"

"The tactics edition."

The two of them were silent for a moment before Naruto grinned.

"Kami it really is you. Only you would be interested in reading Jiraiya's crap." Naruto spoke as he shook off the snow with a shrug.

"It's a romance series, Naruto. I thought you would have enjoyed good literature after you had grown up a bit." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Naruto just smirked for a moment before his expression turned into a slightly curious turn. "So what happened with you? You're... different than what I remembered."

"It's a long story." Kakashi shrugged. "I'll explain it to you on the way back. Besides..."

"Naruto!"

The two of them turned to find a familiar french girl running towards them. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth split into a smile as he recognized who he was looking at.

"...You have someone waiting for you."


	24. A god amongst heroes (Chaldea)

"I can't believe it's really you..." Jeanne muttered as they headed back towards Chaldea. Luckily, the snowstorm had cleared up and most of the snow had gone down. "It feels like such a long time."

"It _has_ been a long time, Jeanne." Naruto chuckled. "I've spent several years away from earth ever since the Grail war ended. I've practically aged 15 years since I last met you."

Jeanne smiled, glad that this was still the same Naruto she grew to adore in the war. "The years have certainly been kind on you. But I have to ask, what has happened to the grail?"

"It blew up." Naruto said simply, scratching his neck. "The cup was volatile after I blew a hole in it, and it immediately exploded the second I touched down in my dimension and flooded it with black goop."

"All the worlds evil?"

"The very same. I had to close down that dimension and seal off any way to get there. It was one of my favorites too." Naruto muttered in disappointment before his face brightened. "Anyway, let's not dwell on the past. How have you been?"

Jeanne beamed with happiness and the two of them began conversing like old friends. As they did so, the rest of the group couldn't help but eye the two of them interact. More specifically, a certain redhead.

"I've never seen this side of her before. She's usually so composed and lady-like, now she's like a normal teenager." Gabby said in amazement, eying the two of them with interest.

"Naruto has that kind of effect on people, especially with young women." Kakashi said with an amused smile.

Mordred snorted. "You should have seen the two during the holy grail war. They were practically an object together." She scratched her head. "Loathe as I am to admit it, he is someone we should not take lightly. We're lucky that he's on our side."

"Now that's surprising coming from you." Robin said with a grin. "The son of king Arthur admitting that someone else is stronger? That's a sight you don't see everyday."

"Shut it Robin, before I introduce your face to my sword." Mordred growled, giving the Archer a frosty glare.

"You'd have to catch me first and we both know you're pretty terrible at that." Robin replied smugly, fueling the fire between them.

"Why you little..."

"Are they always like this?" Kakashi asked as he watched the two servants begin getting into an extremely heated conversation. He didn't even bother to pay too much attention to what they were saying, but they were certainly not using any kind words.

"Hehe... Yes, actually." Gabby giggled. "Robin and Mordred could never get along with each other considering their backgrounds. They don't usually talk with each other unless they're placed on missions together, and even then they try to stay as far away from each other as possible."

"Then why place them together?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Because they work well in the middle of battle. Socializing aside, their skills complement each other extremely well. Robin always needed some muscle to protect his backside, and Mordred needed someone with range to compensate for her weapon. It's a win-win for the both of them." Gabby said with a superior tone. "Really now, I'm one of the leaders of humanities last hopes. Are you doubting my leadership skills?"

"You're a little too young to be taking on a burden such as this." Kakashi replied honestly. "But I do think you're doing a fine job. I was younger than you when I began leading teams, you know?"

"So I've heard. Your legend isn't exactly small." Gabby said with a smile, proud of managing to get a small compliment from a natural born leader other than that huge oaf, Iskander. The king himself may have been one of humanities most greatest legends, but he was very easy to please if you pressed his buttons right. Artoria's compliments were much more satisfying, but she was sometimes too formal for her own good. As for Gilgamesh, he was an entirely separate matter.

"My legend is just like any other. I'm surprised it's even known in the first place." Kakashi shrugged. He had figured Tsunade's legacy or the 1st would have put him in the shadows. Guess history has a weird way of documenting people.

"You're the teacher of two gods and one of the most talented medical users in documented history. Anyone with a brain who has studied Asian culture has to have at least heard your name before." Gabby said with a childlike grin on her face.

"Mmm... " Kakashi hummed with a small eye-smile, amused at the young master's expression. She reminded him a bit like Kushina if she were younger. A snarky personality that alternates with a girly one is something that Kushina was known for.

 **"Think she's a fangirl? The legend of the copy ninja is apparently very well known here."**

 _"Fangirl? No. She's just very... curious."_ Kakashi thought.

The small group continued to trudge along, with Jeanne and Naruto happily chatting in the back while Robin and Mordred traded some not-so-kind words with each other. Finally managing to climb the last mountain, they were able to spot huge Chaldea facility below them which spanned across the mountain complex. Despite being called a facility, it looked like something more akin to a city instead with staff members and servants bustling beneath them.

Naruto whistled. "I detected the presence of a large city, but this wasn't what I had expected." He frowned a bit. "A large amount of servants too... what exactly is this place?

"Chaldea is strictly a magic facility that's cut off from the rest of the world. It took a lot of money and connections, but the original director was able to finish it before he died." Gabby explained.

"It's a facility designed to oversee and protect the world from threats humanity can't normally face on their own. And right now, we face a threat unlike anything Chaldea has ever encountered." Jeanne said with a grim face.

Naruto glanced at Kakashi, who simply shrugged. "Don't look at me. I told you I was just summoned yesterday alongside Jiraiya. I haven't been given any details on the primary threat."

"Then it's time we fix that. With a god on our side, our job will be much easier from here on out." Gabby said as she eyed the two remaining servants. "Robin, Mordred, why don't you two head on down first? Tell the doctor we have someone he should see."

"You heard him, courier. Go and get the egghead." Mordred said smugly.

Robin just grumbled under his breath as he began descending the mountain with Mordred right behind him. Watching them go, Gabby sighed as she tightened her scarf.

"Come on. Let-"

"NARUTO!"

The four of them looked up in surprise as a shape smashed into the ground next to them with an explosion of dust and white snow. Seconds later, Naruto's eyes widened when a very old, but familiar, form stood up from the cloud with a swish of white hair and a ridiculous pose.

"The toad sage of Mt. Myoboku has returned! Come with me, Naruto, you have some people to meet!"

* * *

"Jiraiya, you son of a bitch. How have you been? It's been a while." Naruto asked with a small smile as he walked through the halls of Chaldea with Jiraiya joining in to talk to his godson.

"Oho? You've expanded your vocabulary since we've last met. If you weren't a god, I would have put you in your place." Jiraiya chuckled. "I never would have thought that a gaki like you would have gotten this powerful. Though, I guess it's because of my incredible teaching skills."

 _"You didn't even teach me anything other than the rasengan. The rest I head to learn by myself."_ Naruto thought with a deadpan look. Jiraiya may have been the closest thing he had to an actual relative, but he was certainly very odd and quirky. It doesn't help that the old sage had absolutely zero abilities in taking care of children. He was going to bring up the fact that he hadn't even payed attention to him until he had been in his young teens, but it quickly died in his throat when Gabby spoke up.

"We're here." Gabby announced as they approached another steel door. Apparently those were very common in the new world. "You guys don't need to be so formal. The doc isn't exactly someone you would have thought to have a medical degree."

"Doctor? You have a doctor in charge?" Naruto blinked in surprise.

"What? Something wrong with that?" Gabby asked with a confused look.

"No... It just seems odd that a doctor would be put in charge of a facility like this. As far as the ladder goes, doctors aren't exactly close to the top in terms of leadership."

"True, but wasn't the Fifth Hokage a doctor?"

"Combat medic." Kakashi corrected.

"Same thing." Gabby said with a roll of the eyes. "She did fine, didn't she?"

"Well..." Naruto trailed off, glancing at the two other Shinobi.

"She had... problems." Kakashi muttered.

"Gambling, drinking, anger issues..." Jiraiya began counting.

"Money problems, politics, old age, the list goes on and on." Naruto shrugged.

Gabby gave them an incredulous look before sighing. "Well, the doctor is the best choice we have at a leader as of now. We used to have the daughter of the old directer here to give us orders, but she died in an... accident." She scratched her head. "The doctor was the only one left at the time to inherit the spot since everyone else above him had died in the accident. He's not the best leader, but he's better than nothing at all."

"Accident?" Kakashi intoned curiously.

"A saboteur from the inside blew up the base during the meeting. Practically everyone was killed except for me, Gudao, the doc, and the servants who were summoned at the time. Personally, I was a little bit late to the party so just ask the doctor for the full details." Taking out a small keycard and swiping it in a nearby port, the iron doors slid open.

"After you." Gabby said with a grin. Heading inside, the group found themselves standing in front of a large blue sphere that hovered in the middle of the large room. The platform they stood on hovered over a pool of blue water which covered the ground below them with the occasional lily pad floating around. Blue outlines raced around the room, converging on the large device in the middle of the room.

In the middle of the room, a lone person had his back turned to them as he stood by a terminal while typing at speeds that could make a speedster seem tame in comparison. Having heard the door open behind him, the man spoke without looking around.

"Gudao? Is that you? Good timing. I am almost finished upgrading the leyshifter with those parts you got me, but it seems like I'm going to need a few more. Could you go get me a few more parts along with a few sticks of dango from the cafeteria? Thanks." The man said, too engrossed in his work to pay attention to what was going on around him. Typical egghead scientists.

"Actually, Doctor, it's Gabby."

The doctor's frantic typing immediately halted and he turned around with a surprised look on his face. He was quite young looking, probably into his late twenties or early thirties. He wore a white and green lab coat over his normal Chaldea uniform. Hanging around his neck was a name tag with the initials 'Dr. Roman' written on it. Every other space had numbers and words that the servants couldn't make out.

"You're back? Already? I thought you would have at least sent me a message first." The doctor said before he eyed Naruto curiously. "And whose he? I wasn't informed of another servant summoning."

"I sent Mordred and Robin to inform you. Obviously, they were sidetracked." Gabby said with a sigh before she gestured to Naruto. "As for him, he was the source of the power spike we detected earlier."

"Really? Incredible! But why did you bring him back here?" Roman asked with a frown, obviously not fully trusting Naruto's unknown presence.

"Because it's better than him rampaging around attacking everything he sees." Gabby said, shooting him an accusing glance.

"Ehehe... Sorry." Naruto apologized with a sheepish smile while Roman stared at him curiously.

"So... what exactly are you? I'm detecting the energy qualities of a servant, but you're not made out of prana and certainly don't possess a spiritual core. In fact, I'm getting readings similar to that of a grand." Roman narrowed his eyes. "What are you? One of the 27 dead apostles?"

Naruto blinked in surprise before crossing his arms with a pouty look. "Honestly, do I look like a vampire to you? I admit, I can get really careless in a fight, but I'm not bloodthirsty."

"He's my student, Doctor Roman. He fell out of a portal he tore when he traced my signature back to here." Kakashi said, causing Roman's eyes to widen in surprise before a grin split his face.

"Ha! Nice prank Kakashi, but we both know that's impossible. The gods don't exactly walk amongst this part of the world anymore. Hell, the only reason we managed to summon Artemis was because we tried to pull her hubby. Having another god walk among us would be a one in a trillion chance!"

"Roman, this isn't a prank. This actually is my student." Kakashi deadpanned.

"He's also my student, Kakashi." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

"Yes, yes, Jiraiya. I know." Kakashi sighed before turning to Naruto. "Naruto, do something cool."

"With pleasure!" Naruto grinned as he snapped his finger. Seconds later, the entire room exploded into smoke as hundreds of shadow clones popped into existence. When the smoke died down, the entire room was full of shadow clones standing on every part of the room. On the water, the walls, and the ceiling. Not a single part of the room wasn't covered in orange.

"No way..." Roman muttered in awe as he looked around the room. "This is... physical cloning?"

"As close as it can possibly be. These clones are physical, a perfect replica of me in physical appearance. Strength wise, I'd say they're at least at C-ranked strength with D-ranked endurance. They're only used for distractions honestly." Naruto said as he clapped his hands and dispelled the clones. "I could show you a bunch of other abilities, but they would be too dangerous to unleash with a machine like that."

"I-incredible... Not even the Casters have managed to create a solid copy of themselves without the use of earthly materials! The only one who has been able to do so is Minamoto, but even that's limited to only 4 copies at a single time." Roman muttered as he stared at Naruto in awe. "A real god... Not like a small manifestation like Artemis."

"I'm the real deal. The original one. Unlike the other gods, I prefer to stay and watch over the earth." Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles. "And from what I've been told, this earth is in danger once more. I want details on what is going on."

"Details?" Roman muttered before he slapped himself straightened up. "Right, details. Have you seen the outside world?"

"No. I dropped in here directly from my dimension. There wasn't any time for me to stop and take in the sights."

"Well you're missing out." Roman said as he stepped over to another terminal and typed in a command. Seconds later, a hologram showing the earth appeared above them. Except this wasn't the same blue and green earth that Naruto was familiar with. Instead, it was completely red.

"What in Kami's name happened?" Jiraiya asked as he observed the hologram.

"This is the exact state of earth right now in present time." Roman said with a grim look. "As you can see, the entirety of the surface have been scorched by a massive prana blast, causing the extinction of the human race as the earth was cooked from the outside in." Pressing a button, a list showed up next to the scorched earth.

"Fuyuki, Orleans, Septem... Holy Grail?" Kakashi muttered, reading off of the list.

"The holy grail?" Naruto frowned.

"Not just one. Multiple Holy Grails have been scattered across history as we know it. With their placement, history has begun to erratically shift and displace as the Holy Grail spawned servants into the past. It's messing up history so thoroughly that it's creating a paradox time bomb that'll explode if left alone."

"And that's where we come in." Gabby chimed in. "Chaldea has advanced far enough in magecraft and technology to allow us to monitor both the past and future for the safety of humanity."

"Seeing the future?" Jiraiya frowned. "That's dangerous stuff. Humanity shouldn't have the ability to do something like that."

"It's not like that." Gabby reaffirmed. "The device doesn't exactly tell us exact details of what is going to happen, but it warns us of the impending doom by a use of magecraft and science. It's hard to explain since the people who have made it are now dead, but that's the general gist of it."

"That's cool and all, but what does observing the future fix anything?" Kakashi asked.

"Like I said, that's just one of its functions. It also serves as a telescope into the past. It detects any possible anomaly that shows up and informs us of it, allowing us to go back in time and fix it."

Naruto frowned. "Go... back in time?"

"Yeah, That's what Chaldea is for. We have a device called 'The Grand Order' which allows us to travel into the past to correct these anomalies. In the last few singularities, most of the problems have been solved once we collected the grail. When we travel back here, the singularities correct themselves and the complete destruction of humanity is avoided."

"More often than not, these anomalies usually involve a smackdown with a super-powered demon or a very powerful servant. We came quite close a few times, but we've always managed to pull through." Dr roman said with a grin.

"Yeah, but now that we have a literal god on our side, the new singularity will be a breeze." Gabby smiled, but it quickly turned curious with Naruto sighed.

"Sorry, but I don't think sending me in would be a great idea. It's too dangerous." Naruto said.

"What? Why not?" Gabby asked with a frown. "What's going to stop you? It's not like anyone can match the power of a god."

"You said singularities are fragile timelines, right?" Naruto asked, getting nods from the two employees. "Then that means too much power in a single timeline could cause it to pretty much implode it in on itself. The presence of a foreign god from a different time might just be enough for the timeline to break from the pressure."

"Could that be possible, doctor?" Jiraiya asked, watching Roman put his hand on his chin in thought.

"It could certainly be possible. In Okeanos, a similar situation nearly happened when a servant tried to sacrifice a goddess to the Ark in an attempt to crash the entire singularity."

"Wait... like the Ark of God?" Kakashi asked with wide eyes.

"The very same. You'd be surprised how many crazing situations happen in these singularities." Gabby shrugged. "Well, if Naruto can't help us then we're gonna have to keep going with our regular plan."

"Woah, woah, I never said I wouldn't be able to help you. I CAN go into the singularities with you, but that's only as a last resort that should be used when you're close to finishing the singularity. On the off times, I can communicate with you while you're on the field."

"So... basically nothing." Gabby summed up. Naruto's shoulder slumped and a miniature raincloud formed above his head complete with miniature blue raindrops.

"...Yeah."

"Don't worry about it, Gaki. This way, you'll learn how to really lead a squad." Jiraiya said with an amused grin.

"I did become hokage, Jiraiya." Naruto grumbled.

"True, but I bet that you made Shikamaru your advisor so you wouldn't have to do all the thinking, right?" Jiraiya pressed on with his smile growing as Naruto deflated even more.

"He's right you know." Kakashi said with a small chuckle. "You've never been put in charge of your own squad before. This'll be some good experience for you."

"Whatever..." Naruto muttered before his expression turned serious. "We can discuss my involvement later. For now, I must know exactly who, or what, caused Earth's destruction."

"Well, that's an easy question to answer." Roman said as he pressed a few more buttons on his terminal. "The source of Earth's destruction came from only one man, and his power is above any class of servants we have seen yet."

Throwing a switch, a hologram appeared in the air. This time, it showed a man in sinister looking clothing sitting atop a floating chair that resembled a throne. On each of his fingers were several golden rings except for one, which was silver. Despite being a hologram, everyone in the room could just feel how dangerous the man was just by looking at him.

"This, is Solomon: King of Magic, and the sole holder of the Grand Caster Class."

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, in a place between both time and space, between life and death, a being opened its eyes as a sudden foreign feeling invaded his mind. Narrowing its eyes, the being stared into the darkness unflinchingly in deep thought.

"Power..." He muttered. "A gods power... but where?" He scowled as he closed his eyes. "I can't find it... Something is... blocking me." He gripped his armrest tightly and growled in anger. When it seemed like he was going to tear the side of his chair apart, his entire personality switch. His grip softened, and the angry scowl disappeared from his face, replaced by what seemed to be a calm and smiling facade.

"It matters not. I'm too far ahead to be stopped now." He spun in his chair and laughed. "It doesn't matter what kind of help Chaldea get. The grails have already been planted for long enough. They are already too late! They've always been... too late. They can't save anything. Humanity could never save anything."

He stooped spinning in his chair and paused in thought.

"Except... For that one."

In front of him, the void rearranged itself to show an image of a beautiful castle, resting atop a field with a bright light coming from it. To a normal person, it would look like something comparable to that of a utopia. It was just so bright and warm, and the regal stone walls that surrounded the city made it look safe.

But Solomon knew better.

And it irked him a little.

"This one... is an anomaly. I did not expect such results from one I didn't indirectly worked on. It seems that British girl's absolute loyalty for her kingdom has flipped the table. Amazing how a little girl's will to protect her home can bring the monster right out of her."

Solomon hummed and rapped his knuckles against his armrest. "It matters not. Let them save or fail to save that timeline. They'll come for the last grail soon enough. And when they do..."

Loud roars and screeches filled the dimension as monstrous shapes with thousands of beady eyes came into view. They were each impossibly wide, and all impossibly tall. They reached so high that their tops weren't even visible anymore.

"They will see exactly just why I am sole holder of the Grand Caster class."

* * *

"Solomon." Naruto repeated, staring at the screen. "King of Israel? One of the most recognizable figures in the Bible? Got his wisdom directly from God himself?"

"The very same, though he seems way too unhinged to be a wise king of Israel." Gabby muttered with a grave look. "He's the first of his kind that we have seen. He's not a regular servant, but a Grand Servant."

"Grand servant?" Jiraiya questioned. "Pray tell, what would that be?"

"It's a class that is far above the normal ones. Unlike the regular class system, which only allows a certain amount of power to be given to a heroic spirit, the Grand class gives far more power. On some extensive research, we managed to figure out that the Grand Servants are servants summoned by the World itself to combat literal world ending threats. As such, the power they are granted could end the world several times over by themselves if they wanted to." Roman said with a serious look.

"How ironic for the world to be ended by one of its protectors." Kakashi said, narrowing his eyes. "So this Solomon person is one of those Grand Servants, right?"

"Correct, though you wouldn't have thought of him to be a servant if you stood face to face with him." Gabby shivered, remembering her past encounter with the man. "Even the servants who fought against him couldn't even point their weapons at him before they were destroyed in extreme brutality. It was almost like God was the one dishing out destruction."

"Is that so? Then it seems a meeting should be arranged." Naruto growled.

"Not possible. I haven't been able to sense him, not even using the high tech magical equipment has been able to pinpoint his direct location. Our only hope of getting him to pop up is for us to collect enough grails for him to consider us as a threat. Only then will he actually take us seriously." Roman said as he typed on the terminal to zoom in on Solomon's hands. "What do you notice?"

"His rings." Jiraiya immediately noted. "Nine of them are gold, one of them is silver."

"Indeed. In the Bible, it was told that Solomon was given 10 rings from God himself as proof of his kingship and wisdom. As the king of magic, those rings are able to shut down magecraft of any kind and place it under his control. Not only that, but it also allows him to shut off magic entirely for the rest of us."

"As king of Magic, it should only be natural that he would possess something like that." Kakashi said, already documenting this information for later use. It was good to always take notes. Never known when you would have to fight dirty to win.

"There is also a few other threats we have documented." Roman said, replacing the hologram with another one. This time, it showed a long beady creature with numerous eyes. "These are his personal lapdogs, the Ars Goetia demons. They are 72 demon pillars that have been his main method of attack against us. Each of them requires at least several servants to take down, but alongside powerful offensive abilities, they have another use as well."

Another hologram appeared, but this time it was that of a large bright circle over the earth. "This, is Solomon's most powerful noble phantasm. Using it once, it was able to completely burn down all life on earth in multiple timelines. To do so, however, he specifically stated that all demons were required in different times to hold the earth down and allow him to fire his weapon. As long as one demon isn't alive, we can negate this ability completely."

"An orbital death ray? It's amazing what magic can do in the hands of others." Naruto muttered.

"As good as this information is, we need more than just his abilities. We need to know how he acts, how he thinks." Jiraiya said as he turned to Gabby. "This may be a shot in the dark, but does Chaldea have a servant who may have known King Solomon? An enemy or friend perhaps?"

"I can do you one better." Gabby said with a smirk. "I can get you his father, King David. He's a very passive Archer class servant, but I'm sure he'll be happy to talk to you about his son."

"Then it's settled." Naruto said, rolling his shoulders with a crack. "Let's see what the dad exactly thinks of his son."

 **"Maybe his dad didn't pay child support and made him angry."**

 _"Be quiet Obito, Naruto is doing a thing right now."_


	25. Information is key (Chaldea)

It was odd to find the father of the person who destroyed the entire world sitting at a cafeteria table amongst the company of other servants and Chaldea employees. The most famous king of Israel, and the ancestor of Jesus Christ himself, sat at one of the tables with a carefree look on his face as he stared at a small tablet in his hand left hand, while munching on a loaf of bread in the other.

"That's the King of Israel? No offense, but he looks kind of plain and ordinary for a really important king." Kakashi said as he studied the king of Israel's manners. He wasn't wearing any expensive looking garments that benefitted a king, or a golden crown on his head. What did look like an important artifact was the ivory staff that was leaning on the wall next to him.

"Before he became a king, he was a shepherd. They weren't exactly the richest people, but David apparently enjoys the freedom he had so that's the form he decided to appear in." Gabby said with a shrug. She realized early on that all of the heroic spirits were quite quirky in their own ways. Some of them liked to party, others liked to meditate, and others often liked to indulge with new tech. It was kind of hard to believe, but all of them were still humans despite their status as servants, and they had their own wants and needs.

"All this staring is making me slightly uncomfortable." Naruto muttered as they walked past several tables, drawing the attention of servants and employees.

"They do this all the time with new servants. You know how curiosity is." Gabby said with an amused look.

"I would have thought that you would have been fine with this, Naruto. You always were one for seeking attention." Jiraiya said as he nudged Naruto playfully from behind, earning an irritated look.

"Good attention. This kind is just awkward."

"Focus you two. Try to at least make a good impression." Kakashi scolded, but even his tone lacked any form of seriousness as they approached the King of Israel. As they neared the table, the green haired man looked up from his tablet and smiled.

"Gabby! It has been a while since we've personally talked with each other. How have you been?" David asked with a smile, his teeth practically glinting and shining.

"I've been well. Can't say the same for you, though. I heard you and Liz got in a fight yesterday." Gabby said, earning a laugh from the king.

"Well what can I say? The little dragon girl needed to learn the basic etiquette of keeping to herself. Honestly, her singing reminds me of Goliath's voice! Very hard on the ears." David frowned as he remembered the late night singing of one of Chaldea's resident pop star. He shook his head to clear that little demon girl from his thoughts before smiling once again. "So what brings you to talk to me? Usually it's Gudao who would be approaching me so he can pay up the money he owes me."

"Well, we're here to ask you some questions. Namely concerning the threat of your son." Gabby said seriously. Immediately, the smile was wiped off of the king's face and he looked uncomfortable.

"Solomon? Well, there's not much I can say about him. He was a pretty weird child, but I thought I had left him in good hands. Somewhere along the way he fell off the tree and diverted from the path of God. Not much to say."

"He's a threat to the entire world. There's no way that's all you know about him." Naruto said as he took a seat in front of him, causing David to raise his eyebrows inquisitively as he finally noticed the unfamiliar looking faces.

"Who may all of you be? New servants?"

"Those two are." Naruto said as he gestured two Kakashi and Jiraiya. "As for me... You can just classify me as a being above heroic spirits."

David stared at him for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "A divine spirit? Figures. Only a being on your level could have caused this much panic in Chaldea. so there's not much I can do to really hide things from you." He grumbled as he laid back in his seat. "But tread lightly. I only serve one God, and you sure don't look anything like him."

"Sure, let's just go with that. Just tell us what we're expected to deal with." Naruto said with a deadpan look. Honestly, it's sometimes tiring being a god. Nobody appreciates how much he labors.

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, the king of Israel leaned back in his seat and took a sip of water from a nearby bottle. "My son was an odd person. He wasn't very sociable and preferred to stay by himself. He wouldn't even talk to me that often unless he actually needed something he couldn't get on his own." He frowned. "His personality was quite odd as well. He was normally quiet and composed, often speaking like a young adult. Other times he was snarky and annoying. I do not know the cause, however. Only he personally knows."

Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi shared a small look. Anomalies were always dangerous. In their line of work, Shinobi who were calm and professional always had a pattern that you could exploit if you liked hard enough. Unstable and crazy targets were always the most dangerous, often only concerned with chaotic goals that can't be predicted by anyone.

"That's interesting, but not entirely useful. How about you tell us why he is called the King of Magic?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well that's an easy question to answer. Back in our day, magic and anything related to the supernatural weren't entirely open for many people. Often than not, they needed to meet several requirements to perform magecraft and the such. The reason why Solomon was called the King of Magic was that he created the modern form of magecraft that was used all the way up to the present time. Because of this, all forms of magecraft derived from him."

"Created the modern system of magecraft?" Kakashi frowned. "How exactly did he manage to do so?"

"I was dead when he received his powers, but you can find it in books and the Bible if you look hard enough, but I'm sure I can explain it." David shrugged. "Solomon was visited by God in a dream. I'm not talking about deities like the greek and Japanese pantheon, but the one from which all others derived from. In the dream, God told him that he would grant any wish he wanted at his request for free. Instead of wishing for wealth and power, however, Solomon wished for knowledge to rule more than anyone else. Pleased with his response, God granted him knowledge that allowed him to rule his kingdom and wealth and riches as a side gift."

"So he was granted absolute knowledge? Seems pretty cliche for a super villain." Naruto mumbled. He knew that knowledge was power, absolute knowledge even more so. But power corrupts people, and corrupt people inevitably lead to conflict.

"It wasn't absolute knowledge, but it was far above his own time." David said. "When he woke up, he found 10 gold rings on his fingers, symbolizing his status as the King of Israel. And with his newfound knowledge, revolutionized the kingdom of Israel into an untouchable utopia of peace. He never received another miracle from God, but it was better that he didn't. It was enough for the people to know that he was the chosen king of Israel, for another miracle could potentially cause fear or corruption amongst them."

His eyes darkened. "Solomon was a wise king. Incredibly wiser than any other person in history besides the son of God. However, wisdom didn't entirely mean that he was perfect. He had many wives from different religions and pantheons who seduced him when they arrived at his court to seek 'wisdom'." He scratched his head. "He soon fell out of favor with God and eventually died alone when he was forced to relinquish his title."

"So now he's decided to come back to enact his revenge." Jiraiya summarized.

"We can't say for sure." David said with a sigh. "He's above the human notion of understanding. We can't understand a person like him. If he really wanted to destroy humanity, he would have done it during his time and be through with it."

All of them remained quiet at that thought. It appeared that Solomon's plans were just like Madara's, which were comparable to that of an onion in the fact that they had lots and lots of layers.

"Well, enough with this depressing talk." Gabby said as she clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention. "We have a big day ahead of us so we better get our new guest settled in. Honestly, it's like you people just come in like copy paper. Come along you three."

"About time. I grow weary of talking about my son." David chuckled humorlessly as he stood up. "You three have a nice day. I'm going to go find Gudao and flush out that money he owes me. Chao!"

As the trio said their goodbyes, they began to follow after the female master as she exited the area.

* * *

"So how do you enjoy things so far?" Jeanne asked with an amused smile as Naruto took in the sights with a curious look on his face.

"It's quite amazing how far human engineering has come. We never could come up with such advances in an efficient manner. If only the shinobi had such things." Naruto mused as he ran his hand alongside the metal walls of the facility. After their little talk with David, Naruto ran back into Jeanne and the two of them decided to take this time to catch up and get himself acquainted with the facility.

"True, but it doesn't carry the same feeling as the old days." Jeanne said as she remembered the first day she was here. The cold white walls and robots that mulled around made it slightly uncomfortable for her. Luckily, it didn't take long for her to acclimate, but it was still very odd for her to see a small robot whizz by with a dinner tray in hand.

"You're telling me." Naruto sighed as he pulled away from the wall and smiled. "So how long have you been here? I find it hard that you were able to get things done without me by your side."

Jeanne pouted. "I was one of the first servants to be summoned, you know. And I can take care of myself!" Though her voice turned into a mutter. "Though things would have just been easier if you were there..."

"So I've heard." Naruto chuckled as he gave her a pat on the shoulder. "You've been getting out much? I've been told there are quite a few singularities that have been popping up every now and then."

"True, but they barely take any time to fix. Unless it's a huge singularity, I'm usually back here doing regular stuff. I also serve part time as a counselor for most of the servants who have any problems."

"A counselor? You?"

Jeanne giggled. "What? I can keep a secret. Plus, I was the one always taking care of my siblings when they were younger. Of course, people just say I'm easy to talk to."

"Well, you are. You do seem to be very in touch with people." Naruto said with a smile. "Perhaps you could introduce me to some of the servants?"

At this, Jeanne got an excited look on her face. "Yes! I'm sure they would be happy to meet you." She suddenly coughed and composed herself. "Er... I mean, yes. I'll gladly introduce you to them."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "o-kay?"

He didn't bother to comment on that. When it came to women, it was best not to pry too deeply into their psyche lest you find yourself on the receiving end of a kick to the groin.

So he just continued to follow her around. Eventually, they came upon Marie de Salon, the place Jeanne had told him about as a central hub for servant activity on their days off.

Heading inside, they found that the area was pretty packed with mostly employees and a few servants. Some were there to socialize on the furniture strewn around while some others were busy getting drinks from the nearby bar.

"Jeanne!"

The two of them turned to find Marie running up to them in her usual casual clothes with a smile on her face. "You're just in time! Everyones getting together for a massive party! I kinda forgot to send you a notice, but I assumed the word got around pretty fast." She suddenly blinked as she noticed Naruto. "And whose he? A date perhaps?"

Jeanne's face turned scarlet red while Naruto simply blinked. "H-he's not a date, Marie! He's the person we picked up in our investigation!"

"Really? How quaint." Marie said with an amused tone as she turned to Naruto inspected him with a critical eye. "Hm... Nice build, good choice of clothes, whisker marks, blonde hair, wait..." Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't happen to be one of the divine spirits of Japan?"

"...That is true facts." Naruto confirmed with a sheepish look as he saw her face light up with excitement.

"Oh this is just wonderful! Jeanne has told me so many things about you! She told me that you totally manhandled several servants by yourself during a grail war!"

"I wouldn't exactly say I manhandled them." Naruto said, trying to downplay the situation. To be totally honest, he didn't really remember much about the last grail war, but manhandling seemed like the most logical choice of words to convey what he was doing there.

"And humble to boot! Oh Jeanne, you're lucky to get someone like him! I feel sorry for the rest of the servants, though. They're totally going to freak out when they see him." Marie sighed, sending Jeanne a small look of envy that made the saint sputter and fidget.

"Marie..." Jeanne whined. "Enough with the teasing already!"

Marie rolled her eyes, but her smile was still present on her face. "Fine. I'll stop." She suddenly leaned in and whispered. "Though, you better show him how you feel pretty soon. When it comes to people like him, the girls are going to throw themselves at him. Maybe some guys to. Do you really want that to happen?"

This was the part where any normal human being would lie to get themselves out of trouble, but Jeanne's voice died in her throat. For some reason, the scene Marie had painted up for her made her absolutely... livid.

What's with that? She had no problem with love. Love was an emotion that every other human being should be entitled to. But when she pictured Naruto spending time with other girls...

Marie just chuckled as she left Jeanne in a state of shock and thought before turning to Naruto. "Well, you're always welcome here. And don't mind her too much. She gets like this when she's thinking hard about life."

Naruto chuckled nervously, not sure what the hell was going on. "It's fine. By the way, is it normal for you guys to be throwing wild parties like these? I would have thought that you'd all be too busy for that."

Marie shrugged. "Well we all have to relax sometime, don't we? It's not healthy for our heavy hitters if they exhaust themselves to death and our masters know that." She gestured to several people who were laughing and smiling as they watched two people arm wrestle at a table. One of them was a man with blue hair dressed in a waiters suit and the other was a purple haired woman in a white sweatshirt and regular blue jeans.

He watched as, much to his surprise, the woman managed to overpower the blue haired man with an amused look on her face as she sent him crashing to the ground. Around them, the crowd roared with approval and excitement as they all began taking turns challenging the woman.

"They're a rowdy group, though I must admit that the Irish do know how to throw fun parties." She smiled at him. "Why don't you go join them? I'm sure they'd love to enjoy a drink."

"I don't drink much." Naruto shrugged. It's not like he was against it, but he soon found that the joys of alcohol weren't available to him. Unlike regular people, he couldn't get drunk no matter how many bottles he drank. The powerful chakra network inside of him filtered it out at such a rate that it practically didn't effect him.

Though drinking challenges were not uncommon in the Shinobi world, they could often last hours as the chakra effectively diluted the alcohol before it could effect them too badly. Thus, it would often take at least 10 bottles before anyone could even think about getting drunk.

That's probably why the sake industry always were busy.

"Then I guess I'm going to have to fill in."

Looking in surprise, they saw Kakashi walk past them in a leisurely pace with his Icha Icha book in hand. As he neared the group, one of the men, a huge hulking wall of muscle, noticed his approach and grinned.

"Not again..." Naruto groaned in an annoyed tone while Marie gave him a confused look.

"Hello there, new servant. Why have you come?" The man boomed, drawing everyones attention towards the masked shinobi.

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask and closed his book with an audible boom.

"I'm here for a drink."

* * *

"I cannot believe what I'm seeing."

Marie said these words with exasperation and bewilderment as she watched the originally rowdy crowd be reduced to a simple quiet mess as numerous unconscious sleeping males were sprawled out around the floor.

"This is why I banned you from doing any drinking challenges, Kakashi." Naruto muttered as he eyed the scarecrow sitting crosslegged on top of a table with a bottle of sake sitting in his lap. He seemed to be in a cheery mood, if the lines around his face were anything to go by.

"Come on, wheres the harm in a little game? Besides, I'm getting paid money for this. That counts for something, right?"

"Yeah, but you pulled that cheeky mask trick again!" Naruto accused, earning a confused look from Marie.

"Mask trick?" She questioned, throwing it at Kakashi.

"It's a neat little trick for winning these kinds of things." Kakashi said with a smirk, amusement clear in his voice. He ran his finger through the fabric of his mask. "This mask doesn't actually allow me to drink liquid. It actually absorbs it and gives me the appearance of drinking. Oldest trick in the book, but most people can't really tell the difference when they're half drunk."

Marie's eyebrows raised, and for a moment it would seem that she was prepared to launch into the regular speech of 'alcohol is bad and cheating is even worse', but she simply shrugged.

"Cool. That's a nice trick I suppose." Marie shrugged as she turned her attention back to Jeanne, who had fallen asleep over by the couch. The girl wasn't much of a partier so she just decided to sit back and watch everyone else. Last time someone managed to convince her to drink didn't end well so she refused to touch any of the liquid there besides water.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be? Someone needs to put them in their places once in a while." Marie said with a sigh. "Honestly, it's always about who can drink the most out of all of them. Off or on the field, that's all they ever think about."

"I'd thought you'd be a little bit more supportive of this. Weren't you a queen?" Kakashi questioned, earning a look of annoyance in his direction.

"I still am a queen. There's a difference between being a noble of high-class and a bunch of savage dogs like them. They need to learn some humility from time to time. Usually Scathach is there to reign them in, but even she can get pretty rowdy if she's left unchecked, When that happens, we'd have to get some of the more exceptional heroic spirits to subdue her."

"That's the Irish for you. They always were a rowdy bunch." Naruto muttered, scratching his head. "So what do we do with them? We can't just leave them here... can we?"

"Absolutely not. We have to move them to the medical ward. Let Jekyll and Roman handle this mess for once." Marie said as she grabbed the unconscious blue haired man and began easily dragging him off. Despite her thin frame and D-rank strength, she didn't seem to have any problem with dragging the man. Servants were beings far above humanity, after all. The ranking system classifies that even the most physically weakest servant could crush skulls and lift more than even the most physically fit human beings in the world.

It amazed him how far magecraft has come. To even summon a small fraction of a true heroic spirit was no easy task. It was comparable to that of a miracle that one would even be lucky to get a glimpse of.

They were beings of great strength that cannot be matched by any normal humans unless they went through heavy... modification. Everyone knows that runners aren't sprinters, sprinters weren't weight lifters, and weight lifters weren't pole vaulters. Human beings must sacrifice these things to gain a physique suited for only one purpose. However, even the weakest of servants could do all these things as they have already transcended humanity through their fame. Sure, 90 percent of them were still nowhere close to how they were in life, but it was incredible what these servant classes were able to do to the other 10 percent.

"You heard the lady, Kakashi." Naruto said with a sigh as he stood up. "Let's get them out of here. This is technically your fault to begin with."

"No, they would have knocked themselves out without me. I just made it happen a lot quicker." Kakashi said with a smirk as he kicked two Irish servants towards Naruto. "You take those two. I'll take the purple lady, Scathach I think she's called."

"Why do you get the lady?" Naruto grumbled as he grabbed the two snoring servant's feet.

"Because you're terrible with women." Kakashi said simply. "If Hinata wasn't such a sweetheart, you would have been killed way before you became Hokage." He picked up the unconscious purple woman and carried her gently. "Plus, I heard this woman was a god-killer. Supposedly, she's older than you too by a couple hundred years."

Naruto paled. "god killer? Oh hell no! I'm not touching one of those! Taking care of her my ass, you can deal with her!" And with that Naruto quickly rushed out of the room with the two men.

Kakashi just blinked and shook his head in amusement. It seems that Naruto has gotten smarter through the years. That was good. He didn't want another Sakura running around trying to kill him.

Man... he was getting too nostalgic.


	26. First Mission (Chaldea)

"The girl's time is almost up."

Dr. Roman flinched as he was stared down by Naruto. Over the course of the few weeks he had been there, Roman was surprised that an ancient god of Japan acted like a normal human being. He had expected someone on the level of Gilgamesh but Naruto was a walking charity giver, the complete opposite of the golden king.

They had acclimated to the circumstances rather easily, already having acquainted themselves with nearly the entirety of the Chaldea personal staff members. They even commanded quite a bit of respect from all of the other servants, especially those who were of Asian descent.

Fun people to hang around with, until you get one of them angry. And right now, Naruto was as close to angry as Roman had ever seen him.

He had pulled him into one of the vacant offices and locked the door, effectively making sure that their little conversation didn't reach the ears of the public. Chaldea right now had only stayed alive this long because of the bonds between them. What happened behind closed doors could effectively destroy whatever shred of percent they had to work together.

He swallowed. He had to tread lightly. A passive person he may be, he can still vaporize the entire place if he decided to get angry enough at him. And if this was anything like that Gilgamesh incident, they won't have anyone around to dig the holes.

"Yes." Roman admitted sadly, confirming he knew what Naruto was talking about. "How did you figure that out?"

"I've hanged out with Mashu for a while." Naruto shrugged. "She may try to hide it, but even she knows that she's dying. I didn't tell her that I know, but I bet she suspects I do anyway. You can't hide many things from me." He paused for a moment, his stern voice back again. "Tell me about it. I'm not a licensed doctor, but you are."

Roman fidgeted in place nervously as he thought about how he should word his next few sentences. After all, they could be his last if he didn't tread carefully. Before he could speak, however, Naruto held his hand up.

"Also, don't give me that Hippocratic oath excuse. I'm not in the mood."

Well there goes his first excuse.

Roman sighed in defeat. "Mashu is... special patient. Unlike the other staff members, her past is very... complicated."

"I've got all day. Lay it on me, doc." Naruto said, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Mashu was a designer baby." Roman continued, having the go ahead from Naruto. "She was the product of a successful experiment conducted by the first director of Chaldea; Maris Billy Animusphere." His hands began rapping against his seat nervously. "He was a very successful man, and an even more successful magus. He built Chaldea from nothing, you know? Got himself acknowledge by magi both far and wide. A very brilliant man, incre-

"Get back on track, Roman."

Roman coughed, slightly embarrassed with his ranting. "Right... Sorry." He paused to recollect where he left off. "Maris was a brilliant man, but he was also very ambitious. He created Chaldea to be the ultimate defense of humanity, and like any defense it needs soldiers to protect it. As such, he put us to work in order to create the ideal soldier."

"The fusion of heroic spirits." Naruto whispered, putting two and two together. Mashu had told him that she was bonded with a heroic spirit that she didn't know the name of, giving her the abilities of a heroic spirit despite being only human. She was able to lift by the tons, run faster than an athlete with a shield, and survive situations no human being should be capable of surviving.

"Exactly. Though to be honest, we had scrapped that project years ago. Her becoming a demi-servant was due to luck."

"Luck you say?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You played a dangerous game, Roman. Housing a heroic spirit is beyond idiotic. Not even the dead apostles would ever think of attempting such a thing."

"I know." Roman mumbled. "No human being could possibly contain such a thing because their souls were fragile. Any volunteers we had suffered brain damage and became vegetables. As such, we created designer babies with the purpose of holding heroic spirits inside of them on the theory that a fresh soul would be able to acclimate and accept the soul of a heroic spirit."

"And Mashu was the successful byproduct."

"Correct." Roman nodded sadly. "She was our greatest creation, but it came with a terrible cost. Despite successfully hosting a heroic spirit, she couldn't tap into its power. It effectively refused to cooperate with her. As such, the project was scrapped. Human beings just couldn't control the power of forces as old as history."

"And yet she eventually became a servant." Naruto said, earning a nod.

"Yes. It was only when she attempted to save Gudao that the heroic spirit finally decided to surface." He smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "I was proud, you know? She was like a daughter to me, and she has done what no other human being could ever hope to achieve."

"But she has a time limit, doesn't she?" Naruto asked quietly, his voice ringing clear in the quietness of the room.

Roman closed his eyes. "Yes... yes she does. Even with the heroic spirit, she's breaking down at a rapid pace. She was expected to have only a lifespan of 16 years, but we have just managed to push it to 18. Even then, we can't prolong the inevitable." Roman suddenly opened his eyes with a pleading look. "But you can. You're a god, Naruto. You can fix her if you wanted to, can't you?"

Naruto stared at the doctor, seeing the face of a hopeful man instead of the idiotic doctor that everyone loved. He wanted to say yes, he truly did, but...

"I'm sorry." Naruto muttered as he turned away. "There are some things even gods cannot fix. She's dying because of how you created her. If it was a cut or a slash, I could definitely heal her. This condition isn't like that, though."

Roman bit his lip, but he didn't speak. He should have seen this coming. He had hoped that Naruto would have been able to save her with a simple wave of his hand, but it seemed like that wasn't the case. Mashu's life was predetermined before she was even born. Predetermined in a way that would inevitably lead to her death. Not even Naruto could go against that.

"Have you told the others about this?"

"No. If I did, it would ultimately lead to more problems. Right now, we can't afford something like that."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "If you don't tell them now, it'll still lead to more problems down the road. Most likely problems that you won't be able to fix. Trust me when I say that it's easier to get it off your chest sooner rather than later."

"Gudao and Gabby would butcher me if I told them." Roman moaned, earning a small smile from Naruto as he walked towards the door and unlocked it.

"That should be the least of your worries, Doctor. If you're not going to tell them, then I will." Naruto threatened, causing Roman to pale as he shot upwards and began frantically speed walking.

"I'll talk to them." Roman mumbled in a hurried manner as he nervously walked out the door. Before he could go though, he heard Naruto call out to him.

"Roman."

Turning around, he saw Naruto give him a small genuine smile. "I'll think of something."

And just like that, Roman's mood lifted.

Perhaps there was a chance for her to defy fate after all.

* * *

Kakashi whistled to himself as he sat atop one of the pillars that littered the training ground. He found that this part of the training grounds regularly went unused and often came to this spot for some peace and quiet with his Icha Icha book by his side.

Speaking of Icha Icha, Jiraiya has since rekindled his spark for writing and had published a rough draft in the first two days he had been there. While most of the women hadn't even touched it due to the fact that it was Jiraiya who had written it, most of the men had exchanged copies and read it occasionally when they felt like nobody was watching.

Except for Blackbeard. Like him, he constantly read the books in public. Unlike him, however, he loved to read out loud without a care in the world, which was something that he himself was always embarrassed to do. Needless to say, Blackbeard had soon found himself confined to a special hospital bed that was reserved with his name on it.

Even Shakespeare had gotten in on the action, praising Jiraiya as a splendid author for such an incredible piece of literature even if it wasn't in the universal language of english that the playwright had grown up with.

"I never got why you'd read that book in public. If you had learned anything, you would know that most women don't hold any love for that book."

Kakashi felt the the pointy tip of a spear touch his back. Unconcerned, Kakashi calmly looked up and craned his neck a little bit to see a familiar purple clad warrior standing behind him with a familiar thorny red spear in her hands.

The person who stood behind him was dressed in a snug purple battle suit which showed off her very athletic figure perfectly. If one looked closely enough, they could see small faded designs decorating the suit. Any expert in runic magic would tell you that they were highly complicated sets of runes, long since lost to humanity years ago.

Except for one who was old enough to wield the primordial runes.

"Hello, Scathach." Kakashi greeted calmly, earning a grin from the queen of shadows.

"You're no fun. At least I get to see Setanta scream like a little girl whenever I sneak up on him." Scathach complained as she dissipated her spear and sat down next to him. "Though I guess our sparring sessions more than make up for that."

"It's always fighting and competitions with you. It's getting more frequent, and you're still only the second most hot-headed person I've ever had the pleasure of talking to." Kakashi muttered, the image of a familiar man in a green jumpsuit and a bowl haircut appearing in his mind.

"Aw... I guess I'll just have to try harder then." Scathach said with mock disappointment.

"Please don't."

"I feel like I've been issued a challenge."

Kakashi groaned while Scathach just gave a hearty laugh. Ever since Kakashi had managed to beat her in a drinking contest, albeit the fact he was cheating, the goddess had taken an interest with him and eventually asked for a friendly spar. He had declined at first, but she continued to pester him all day until he finally gave into her demands and agreed to meet her at the training ground the two were at.

She wasn't at all disappointed in their fight. In fact, she considered it even more enjoyable than her fights with Setanta. In such a short amount of time, the man had figured out how to adapt to her fighting style and actually managed to make her work for the win. He didn't fight like a samurai or knight, forcing her to test the waters for over an hour before she figured out how to safely deal with him. She still won in the end, but the man didn't seem bothered by it at all. He simply sighed and returned back to reading his book. Still, a victory was a victory for her.

Although she had to admit that his ability to go intangible was an absolute pain in the ass.

"What are you even doing here anyway? I'm not in the mood for a spar if that's what you're here for."

"What, I can't spend some time with my best sparring partner? You make it seem like I only care about fighting!" She gasped with mock hurt, earning a roll of the eyes from the scarecrow.

"You do. But if you aren't, then this is a nice change of pace." He paused. "For real though, why are you here?"

"To bring good news." Scathach said as she stood up. "A massive singularity just popped up, and I'm not talking about those regular singularities that we get George and Blackbeard to do. I'm talking about an EX ranked singularity."

"EX ranked singularity?" Kakashi intoned, finally looking up from his book, his interest peaked.

"Yeah, or at least that's what the doctor says." Scathach shrugged. "They're getting the strike team ready and are about to head out in a few hours. And guess what? You and the toad are going to be coming with us."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Scathach nodded. "Really. Our masters wanted a flexible team so we can adapt for any possible situation that may occur. And if it's anything like that one singularity in America, they have good reason to do so."

She remembered that singularity like it was yesterday. It was an absolutely stupendous mess for all parties involved. Her student turned evil with his evil queen stalker, and she nearly got herself killed by said student when he performed a technique that she knew she hadn't taught him. Then there was also the fact that the stupid girl decided it would be a good idea to summon twenty-eight demons in an attempt to take everything with her. By the end of it all the singularity was pretty much gone.

Most of the servants from that singularity had already been summoned by Chaldea, uniting them under one banner for the sake of humanities future. Still, some old grudges still lingered. While they had mostly quelled after some constant therapy with Jeanne, she still didn't feel comfortable with her past foes and vice versa.

She shook her head. Now was not the time for such trivial thoughts. "So what do you say? Care to join?"

Kakashi closed his book and stood up, stretching himself out before turning towards Scathach with a determined look normally found on the most heroic of individuals.

"Count me in."

* * *

Gudao rubbed his eyes with a tired expression as he stared at the notes he had just written down. It was known to most people that he was sort of a workaholic, but he wasn't as bad as people like Tesla and Edison. Still, everyone was starting to get concerned with how much strain he's been putting on himself considering he had been pulling several all-nighters.

He'd always assure everyone that he's feeling fine and that he enjoyed working, but in truth he was feeling rather conflicted right now regarding a small problem regarding his closest friend and partner.

He remembered when she had collapsed at the end of the America singularity. The facility had been in a state of panic for several hours as they had brought her to see doctor Roman, who calmly took her in as if it were natural. He had always assumed that it was the doctor acting calm for their sake, but he always thought the doctor had been acting a little bit too calm.

He didn't think about it, but the doctor had to go and pull him and Gabby aside for a 'little talk' as he put it. What came next was a pile of information that nearly made him throw himself out of his seat and bash the doctor in with his chair.

He knew. He knew about Mashu's condition but didn't tell him, any of them, about it! If it wasn't for Gabby being rational enough to hold him back so Roman could explain, they might've been short one doctor.

Any rational person might have held the grudge of a lifetime, but as the talk went on his anger for the doctor began to fade. He was still irritated with him, but he could understand why he kept it a secret from them. He didn't want their personal feelings to be their downfall, theorizing that they would have run themselves dry trying to figure out how to save her.

That theory wouldn't have been wrong.

He rubbed his forehead and cleared his thoughts. Roman had said that Naruto promised he would try to come up with something for Mashu so he should just focus on the task at hand. He needed a team right now.

His first thoughts had been for a team full of Berserkers. Unfortunately, he had shot that idea down as quickly as it came. It just wouldn't be efficient enough if they were dropped in the middle of a warzone like last time. If they wanted to succeed, they needed rational boots on the ground. He wanted a few tactical minds to be there, people with experience leading others and coming up with plans on the fly.

Picking up his pen, he began writing a few of the first names that he thought of immediately. Surprisingly, the list was actually quite small. It didn't matter to him, though. They were enough. All he needed now were some heavy hitters to seal the deal.

He frowned. His natural thoughts went towards the Sabers, but very few of them were actually available thanks to most of them having been deployed to fix a dozen minor singularities a few days ago. They weren't in peak condition for such an important event. Only two of them were fully operational since they had skipped out on the last few.

He internally winced when he realized the only eligible choices he had could end up possibly as the worst choices he could have made. Unfortunately, they were the only ones available.

He picked up his pen once again and began to write. He had to finish this quickly. They had to suit up in the next hour before heading out. If there were any problems, he'd just wing it.

Or he could just hope nothing would go wrong, but that would just be asking for too much.

* * *

Gabby frowned in slight displeasure as she walked with Gudao. The source of her displeasure coming from a slip of paper she held in her hand with scribbled handwriting in black pen scrawled all over in a neat manner.

 **Gabby: Kakashi, Scathach, Artoria, Oda, Jeanne, Medea.**

 **Gudao: Jiraiya, Mordred, Mashu, EMIYA, Medusa, Robin.**

"I can't believe you thought this would be a good idea." Gabby muttered as she and Gudao walked through the hallways towards the leyshift room. "The rest of them I can agree with, but those two specifically?"

"I know they have their problems, but they're the only ones in fresh condition that we can depend on right now. We needed a strong frontline so that's where they come in." Gudao replied calmly, already having expected this response from his partner. "Listen, if things get hairy we can always let Scathach rein both of them in. She's great at that kind of thing. We can also send them back after we re-establish a proper link with Chaldea."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she can do it forever. The two of them together are like a volatile bomb that could go off at a moments notice. They're not ready to start working together yet, much less be in the same squad!" Gabby argued.

"Would you rather have Karna and Arjuna instead?" Gudao retorted, causing Gabby to bite her lip.

"No... But they have an entirely different level of issues."

"But they're still basically the same, right? Then I'm not changing the decision." Gudao said with a firm tone before sighing at the look on Gabby's face. "Look, I know how concerned you are about this, but we don't have a choice. We can't just go into this singularity without a solid team. If it even goes well, it might actually be able to solidify a relationship with Arturia and Mordred."

Arturia and Mordred, known properly in history as King Arthur and the Knight of Betrayal. Despite their titles, the two of them were actually female instead of Male despite the fact that most historians were one-hundred percent certain that they were male. It had been a surprise with Artoria since she was one of the first servants they had summoned, but it turns out that many other heroic spirits had been female as well despite being solidified as a male in their legends. It was kind of bizzare, but they quickly learned to deal with it.

"You know their relationship is complicated. It'll take delicate work for them to bridge the gap between them. Throwing them into a situation like this could strain it even more." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Everyone gets nervous when the two of them are near each other. I don't want the two of them to get shadowed behind everyone else because of their problems."

"That's why I brought Jeanne along. She's the kindest servant in Chaldea and she'd gladly hang out with the two of them. With her there, we'll be able to hopefully keep the problems to a minimum."

Gabby stared at her friend for a moment and narrowed her eyes. "This wasn't your first idea, was it? Someone suggested it to you." She accused, causing Gudao to flinch. "Knew it. Even you are too nice to risk straining their relationship. Who gave you that idea?"

Gudao mumbled something under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"...Naruto." Gudao said in a louder voice, earning a sigh from the redhead.

"Figures. Only he would suggest something like this."

The blonde was a walking radiator of happiness. Pretty much anyone who came into contact with him had nothing but positive effects happen to them. People had avoided him for some time due to his status as a god, but they began to socialize with him once they saw Jeanne hanging out with him. Despite his ditzy demeanor, he was apparently wise when it counted.

"He's not entirely wrong, you know. They need to sort things out sooner or later. Plus, he's been around for a really long time. I trust his judgement on these things."

"We can only hope." Gabby muttered before her face turned into one of annoyance. "You know... These battle suits could be more comfortable. It sometimes gets really clingy when I sit down."

"That's how Medea designed it. Take it up with her when we get there."

The mystic code battle suits that Medea had designed for them were pretty phenomenal from a magus' point of view. Covered with many runes and blessings from numerous Casters, it amplifies the use of magecraft while forcing less stress on their bodies. It's defense is also stronger than steel and uses shock absorption to disrupt as much damage as possible from physical strikes.

Still, Gudao couldn't help but agree with the female when she said that it could get uncomfortable. It was sometimes tight in several areas, got a little bit too hot, and could get extremely clingy after a workout.

Not to mention the fact that it was a full on bodysuit like the ones Cú, Diarmuid, and Scathach wore. While he get the fact that it was supposed to provide increased combat abilities, he wished it was a little bit more modest. Though that was just him personally. Any other magus would gladly forsake their dignity if it allowed them to get stronger. Increasing your knowledge by any means necessary is a law all magi hold above all else.

A dumb rule, but it was a race for everyone to reach the root before anyone else. They'll use any underhanded tactic to pull ahead and reach the center of the universe, even if it could possibly doom the world.

It didn't take long for Gabby and Gudao to realize that the modern magi were incredibly misguided.

* * *

The summoning room was more active than usual with the newly formed strike team having already gathered and milling around as they waited for the ley shifting to begin.

The tension in the room was awkward, however. Arturia and Mordred seemed to not be paying each other any mind, but the rest of them knew better. It was clear that they were trying their hardest not to acknowledge the others existence, too awkward and prideful to even approach each other.

The rest of the servants on the strike team had a mixture of worry, concern, impassive, or calculating looks depending on the person as they did their best to put themselves between them without making it seem too obvious. Most of them didn't exactly agree with this kind of matchup, but didn't attempt to vocalize or argue against it. They trusted their masters enough to at least see how this goes.

Other than that, the team looked good to go. Emiya was making small talk with Arturia to try and draw her attention away. Mashu and Medusa were tending to Fou and spoiling him with pets and scratches. Oda was cleaning her rifles next to Mordred who was doing the same with her sword, and Robin was smoking a cigar much to Medea's annoyance and Jeanne's discomfort as the smoke blew in her direction.

Unfortunately, there was one piece of the picture missing; a familiar grey-haired scarecrow and his orange book.

"What did you mean you lost him?" Gabby asked with a raised eyebrow as she stared at Scathach who had just arrived at the room without the residential scarecrow she had been sent to collect.

"He ditched me on the way here." Scathach shrugged, obviously just as confused as Gabby. "He said something about bringing a few stuff but he didn't specify what."

"Would you like me to go check on him, Sempai?" Mashu asked Gudao, who looked equally concerned about the tardiness.

"Yes, plea-"

"Don't worry about it, Missy." Jiraiya spoke up from his meditating position on the floor, the hermit surprisingly quiet and calm. "Kakashi has a bad habit on showing up late for meetings even if they are important. He'll be around in the next few minutes or so."

"Huh, no wonder him and Hector get along so well." Gudao thought out loud. The legendary hero of Troy was known to be a lazy bum who would just spend the entire day in the Salon. Despite this, him and Kakashi could often be seen around each other early in the morning at the Salon casually reading a book to pass the time. If it wasn't for the fact that they were of different descent, he would have assumed they were related.

Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn to the entrance as Kakashi appeared with a small bag slung around his shoulder and a complete outfit change. Instead of his regular white hokage garb, he now wore a dark green flak jacket over a long sleeve shirt that was tucked into dark blue combat pants. On his hands were combat gloves that had a small metal plating plastered onto them, possibly meant to be like a brass knuckle of some sort.

He gave them a cheery wave. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late but I got stuck on the road of life." He said, causing everyone but Jiraiya to sweat drop at the sorry attempt at an excuse if it could even be called one.

"Where did you run off to?" Gudao asked with a frown as he recovered. "What was so important that you had to leave?"

"Lots of things, actually. You kinda caught me at a bad moment. I didn't want to get my hokage garb dirty so I went back to my room to change into much more appropriate gear. I also had to get my sword, some knives, paper bombs-"

"Bombs?" Oda looked up from her guns.

"Yeah, you never know when you'll need to blow a hole in something." The warlord gave him a thumbs up before returning back to her guns. Kakashi just shrugged before looking around. "So are we ready to begin? This is everyone else, right?"

"Yes, this is it. They were the only ones I could get in such a short notice." Gudao said as he followed Kakashi's gaze which was fixed on the two blonde sabers. "And yes, they are part of this as well."

"You sure? This seems like a really bad idea." Kakashi said in a lowered tone as to not let the two sabers overhear.

"That's what I said." Scathach and Gabby said at the same time, causing Gudao to sigh.

"...Just deal with it." Gudao muttered in a tired voice as he walked off to check on the other servants. As he walked off, Kakashi couldn't help but voice his opinion.

"He seems way too tense."

"Gudao always gets like this before we start our missions." Gabby said with an exasperated sigh. "He's the brains of the organization, so he constantly works to improve our chances of winning. Unfortunately, he thinks that working overtime is going to increase his chances of coming up with anything groundbreaking. He needs to be like me and relax more, maybe a trip to the hotsprings."

"You speak the truth, Gabby. He does tend to overwork himself. However..."

Gabby suddenly yelped and held her arm left shoulder as Scathach gave her a small tap with her fist.

"What the hell was that for?" She whined as she nursed her arm.

"You're too brash. Unlike Gudao, you tend to rush in headfirst and take the most direct route in all situations. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm your advisor you wouldn't be able to come up with anything resembling a plan." Scathach said with a scolding tone as Gabby's expression contorted into a pout.

"That's not true... I can come up with my own plans." Scathach's eyes narrowed. "...fifteen percent of them."

"Sounds about right." Scathach nodded, satisfied with getting her point across. Kakashi and Jiraiya just simply traded looks and a simple thought passed between them.

That woman might be more dangerous than Tsunade.

* * *

"Ley shifting will begin in approximately five minutes." Roman announced from his spot near the controls as he flipped the numerous switches and levers, causing the room to hum with energy as the machine powered up in preparation for the ley shifting to begin.

The room had been significantly remodeled and improved after the Fuyuki incident, with Chaldea now having many famous inventors, scientists, and Casters with them to help elevate the facility to new heights. Even though Da Vinci had been with them for a few years and was the lead designer of Chaldea, there was so much a single inventor could do.

Speaking of inventor...

He twisted in his seat so that he could address the inventor to start the next part of the ley shift, only to find Leonardo's usual spot to be vacant. Confused, he looked around the room and blinked in surprise when he saw her talking with the Masters. At first, he was going to berate her for slacking off as usual when he realized that she wasn't just near them, but standing directly IN the ley shifting circle.

"H-hey, Da Vinci! What do you think you're doing? You need to get out of the circle!"

Da Vinci just gave him a smile that somehow made his blood run cold. "Hm? I'm just going with them to Jerusalem. I mean, can you believe it? A walk through the promised land is too good of an opportunity for me to pass up. Besides, this is an EX ranked singularity. They're going to need someone like me to survive in such a foreign land."

Unfortunately, Roman didn't seem to be convinced. "Y-you idiot! None of you will be able to return until the singularity has resolved itself! What will Chaldea do if something happens to you? You've revolutionized Chaldea beyond anything we've ever seen, like the chocolate fountain and coffee machine in the cafeteria-"

"You can just get Emiya to fix it."

"What if something happens to him too?!"

Leonardo's eyes narrowed in growing annoyance and looked like she was about to spit fire while the rest of the people in the room looked back and forth between them like a tennis match. Before she could mouth off back to the doctor, a familiar voice popped up from behind a bunch of computers.

"Ah... Just let her go, Roman."

Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice and found Naruto rolling towards them in a chair without a care in the world, having emerged from behind the terminals without anyone else noticing he had been there all this time.

"Sup."

"Naruto!" Everyone exclaimed except Kakashi and Jiraiya, who simply remained indifferent and continued remaining engaged in their reading.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Jeanne asked, being the first one to come down from their shock.

"Yeah, what are you doing here, Naruto-sama?" Oda asked with a curious look until she realized that she was gathering looks from her fellow servants. "What?"

Naruto seemed to ignore the 'sama' part and simply smiled. "I'm just here to see you guys off. After that, me and Roman are going to be monitoring your progress as you go along."

"What, you think solving the singularity yourself is beneath you?" Mordred asked with a gruff tone, earning troubled looks from several servants and masters, along with looks of anger and displeasure from Oda and Arturia.

And despite the obvious jab at him, Naruto's eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement. "Well, if you want the entire singularity to implode on itself the second I touch down then you can be my guest."

That shut Mordred up pretty fast.

"Hold up, is that even possible?" Robin asked with a questioning look.

"Certainly possible. With a sudden variable like him entering the picture abruptly through the leyshift, the fragile singularity might destroy itself even faster." Medea said, musing on the thought and having been told that it had almost happened in a past singularity thanks to a younger version of her.

"Well there you have it. A person like me would just make your lives harder down there. Since I can't be there in the flesh, however, I decided to take over Da Vinci's spot so she could go with you instead!" Naruto said with a grin as he pushed himself towards a lever. "Anyway, you guys better buckle in. This is the lever I need to pull, right Da Vinci?"

"Yes Naruto, that's the safety release. We went over this before." Da Vinci giggled in amusement.

"Now hold on a min-" Roman began protesting, starting to get a little bit upset that nobody seemed to be listening to his opinion, but he was soon cut off as Naruto and Da Vinci gave him a deadpan look.

 _"Are you seriously doing this right now?"_ Was what their looks conveyed. After a few seconds passed, the doctor finally realized that he was outvoted two to one and decided to just give up. Sighing, he just made a 'go ahead' gesture with his hands as he admitted defeat.

Da Vinci smirked, obviously pleased with her victory while everyone else just had amused looks at the doctors expense. As Da Vinci joined them in the center of the circle, welcomed by the friendly banter from the rest of the servants, Naruto pressed his hand on the lever in preparation to send them off. Before he did, he gave the masters a single look with a clear message.

 _"Are you absolutely sure about this?"_

The response he got was in the form of determined looks that couldn't be mistaken for anything else. They were the looks of warriors who went into the field of battle, ready to do anything for their cause.

Naruto smirked. Why did he even doubt them?

He shoved the lever down, and the group disappeared from the room in a flash moments later.

* * *

 **Hey guys. As you can see, the story is about to pick up the pace in action as the group gets sent to the Camelot singularity. If you haven't followed on the events of the Grand Order game, you should do so as to get a basic understanding of what will happen.**

 **The game is only in Japanese, but there are translations on the reddit forums that you can find with a little bit of digging. They shouldn't be too hard to find.**

 **As always, there are going to be some changes to the story, but it will ultimately end with the same conclusion as the game. Some of the changes may be minor, but there will be also several major changes.**

 **Also, I might include some potential Omakes in the future. They'll mostly be revolved around the Ninja's time in Chaldea before they were sent on their mission.**

 **And that's about it. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	27. Unfortunate Landing (Chaldea)

**Hey guys. I just wanted to post a quick note regarding the story. Yes, I have read your reviews and get that some of you are quite upset that Naruto hasn't been shining much since the Chaldea arc began. The reason I have for this is to focus more on the other characters other than Naruto and simply Jeanne. In the apocrypha event I sort of blew through the entire thing without stopping. As such, it felt kind of bland. That's why I wanted to go slower in this arc.**

 **But I get it. You all want Naruto and that's perfectly fine. I'm just trying to make it so that watching Naruto annihilate everything with nothing but a flick of his wrist isn't all that you're seeing. I might have to rewrite my drafts quite a bit, but I can assure you that the next chapter will be mostly centered around Naruto and his exploits in a certain underground magical facility in the desert.**

 **With that said, thank you for the reviews. It helps me understand more things as a writer and not just as a person.**

* * *

A city of diamond rose from the ashes of a cratered wasteland, casting its shadows over the makeshift houses and shelters that had been set up outside of its borders. The massive gate that separated the city shone like polished marble, glittering like the finest of silver and draped over with blue banners that complimented it well. Lined at the top were lines of soldiers who watched the sea of sands for any threat that would appear at their walls.

In the numerous pathways below, the citizens of the city bustled about happily without a care in the world. Despite the outside of the city being completely desert, the inside flourished with life and nature. Everything shone with vitality, and a lone servant was emitting more than anyone else as she walked towards the gate while humming a tune to herself. Her slippers clapped against the pavement, drawing the attention of onlookers as she passed by. She wore a white overcoat with a low cut which revealed a bikini top between golden accents, matching leggings that separated her from the rest of the civilians. Her long black hair flowed behind her, covered on top by a purple cap and a neck guard that shielded her neck from the rays of the sun. She merrily continued on her path despite the looks everyone was giving her as she headed towards the gate.

Despite this, several forms kept their eyes on her. In one of the tallest towers, several servants had gathered near the balcony to watch her go. It was the place where the king would usually be to address the people, but now was not the time for speeches.

"Tch... It would have been a great opportunity to stab her in the back... She shouldn't have been allowed to go. Though, it's not like one woman can do anything in that desert."

A blonde knight in silver armor, accented with red, stared at the figures back with her arms crossed in clear displeasure. Another knight wore black scaled armor that mirrored his slick hair and pale skin. By his side was a huge two-handed sword that glistened gold and blue. It seemed way too thick to be an actual sword and more like a flat sheet of iron on a stick.

The blonde shot a look towards the other knight next to her, whose bright red hair being an oddity amongst them. His eyes were closed and his expression was blank, giving people the impression that he had fallen asleep while standing. He didn't even seem to notice the glare the blonde knight was giving him.

"You think so too, right, bird brain? Hey, Tristan, are you even alive?!"

At the mention of his name, the red knight's head tilted up a little bit. "Excuse me... Sir Mordred. I wasn't asleep... Please continue on without heeding me..." Tristan stated in a voice barely above that of a murmur, his eyes also having stayed closed. "And if you are asking about women, please refer to Sir Lancelot instead of me... Yes... It's truly sad, but he has more experience in such matters than I."

Sir Mordred gave him an annoyed look. "What does that have to do with anything?!"

Besides them, Sir Lancelot had an annoyed look on his face as he watched their exchange. He was about to speak up when the rustling of cloth and a pair of metal footsteps came into his peripheral vision. "Sir Agravain."

The knight in question turned as a young man with blonde hair entered the room, his face and body brimming with health and vitality as he stood within the ray of the sun. Out of all of the senior knights, stress hadn't affected his visage or appearance. He wore a black cavalier shirt that was tucked into silver armor that glittered and sparkled like the walls of the city. None of them vocally admitted it to the man's face, but it really annoyed them to look at him.

"As the adjutant, you are the only one who may speak directly with the king. Had the king said aught else?" The knight inquired. "Any words about the protection of the holy city?"

"Do not be so presumptuous. The king has no words for you." Sir Agravain replied coldly with a hard edge to his tone, but none of the knights reacted. "All you need to do to show your loyalty as the king's knights. Though Xuanzang Sanzang is a foreigner, she was not the 'traitor' that was prophesied by the astrologer. That is all you need to know."

"Yes..." Sir Tristan shifted slightly. "When the foreign star shines bright, the coalition of chalk fractures, the king's authority wanes, and the tower of divine revelation falls... A truly sad, but beautiful, poem. If there is a need, would you like me to recite it?"

"We've all heard it before, Tristan." Sir Agravain said quickly. The archer just gave a sad sigh and sunk back into his usual silence as Sir Agravain continued on. "Like I said, the king has permitted Xuanzang Sanzang to leave. We can leave her be. The ones you should be worried about are the foreigners who will come after."

He stepped forward towards the edge of the balcony and gazed over the land. It was the land of the distant utopia. The world they had all strived to build. _Her_ world. "The duty of protecting the human order... It must surely be a heavy one. Soon, the last master of this world will surely come."

He turned towards the knights once more before continuing. "The king has commanded you to strive to not be discourteous. But the king bears the weight of this world. We must clean up the worthless trivialities ourselves. You have heard me, O' Knights of The Round Table..."

His armor rattled and clanked as he began walking off to report back to his king. He only paused momentarily to give one last message.

"I look forward to your true loyalty."

The knights stood still as they watched Sir Agravain leave. In their minds, they had no doubts about their loyalties. They would meet whatever threatened the utopia their king had built and swiftly remove it from this world. For her honor, and their own, they would gladly go through hell and back for their king.

They were the greatest and the best. Nothing would touch these walls without the king's permission.

* * *

In the deepest part of the desert, far from the distant city, a sandstorm raged like a violent twister. Visibility had been nearly reduced to zero and it made navigating nearly impossible unless one was used to such weather. It was almost impossible for anything to even live out here.

Key word: Almost.

In the distance, the servants of Chaldea fought off a huge monstrosity that rose from the shadows of the storm. It towered over the servants in size and fought like a lion as it balanced itself on paws the size of pillars. It's face was covered by a golden mask, with only its glowing red eyes peaking out for visibility. Sprouting from its torso were a pair of large wings. Despite this, it didn't look like it could support the beasts full weight and they were mostly used to stir up the sandstorm even more.

It didn't give much sound as it suddenly lashed out with its paws like a cat, scattering sand everywhere as it impacted the spot a familiar blonde servant with blue armor was a split second before. Without pausing, the wings on its back sprouted up and deflected a barrage of arrows that had shot out from its right. Hissing, its eyes began to glow brighter as it turned towards the direction the attack had come from and launched a burst of magical energy in the form of a laser, causing an explosion of heat as the red archer dove out of the way.

While all of this was happening a cloaked figure stood from atop one of the cliffs, silently watching over the battle. A large white cloak concealed most of his features, the hood pulled up all the way to prevent his face from being viewed. The only thing noteworthy that anyone could identify him with was the fact that his right arm was completely silver and robotic in nature. Despite this, it moved just as fluidly as its fleshy counterpart.

The man watched as the numerous servants attempted to bring the beast down, hitting it with attack after attack. It ultimately proved to be fruitless, however, as the beast's high-speed regeneration healed all the wounds that were inflicted on it.

His silver arms instinctively tightened. In any normal circumstances, he would have gone down there to help them. Merlin had told him of the servants and masters who would arrive here one day to save this world and its inhabitants. Still, he needed to be sure. Absolutely sure. Because there was one thing that was stopping him from joining.

He zeroed in on the moving form of the familiar blue knight as she moved across the battlefield. It was the king he served. His king. The king was here in the desert.

But he knew it was not his true king. The king had excalibur, one of the greatest of holy swords. A sword that his own king had all but lost. Was she aiding Chaldea?

He would wait and see. If they were truly from Chaldea, he would assist them when the time comes. For now, he had his own goals to achieve. His true target laid deep within the castle walls and he would surely need assistance to get in. If he did assist them, however, he needed to keep his identity hidden. After all, there were too many anomalies. Too many unknown variables. He had waited for this moment for over a thousand years and he could not afford failure. His body was breaking down faster every single day.

He wrapped himself tighter in his cloak and disappeared deeper into the sandstorm. By his honor as a knight, no, a knight of the round table, he would fix this problem and save his king.

* * *

Gudao looked on with sight worry as he scoured the battlefield, looking for anything that could help them gain an advantage over the beast. Within minutes of landing they had already been attacked by creatures from the sandstorm, causing them to loose most of their food supplies in the chaos as the hungry beasts devoured them and ran off.

They had gotten very little sleep, having to fend off night attacks from other curious monsters that had wandered into their territory. During that time, Da Vinci had crafted special masks for the two masters to wear. The abnormally high mana concentration in the air would have been fatal without those masks. To make things worse, contact with Chaldea had been cut off upon contact.

Which unfortunately meant they weren't getting any backup any time soon.

He grumbled as he readjusted the goggles on his head. They weren't really doing much to help his visibility, but it was better than having sand stream into your eyes every second. Both him and Gabby simply relied on their connections with their servants to coordinate and tell where they were. Against a single enemy, coordination wasn't exactly needed.

But the pure power the beast was putting off was starting to make them reconsider a plan of action. Medea, Jeanne, Leonardo, and Mashu were keeping close to him and Gabby incase another beast decided to attack them. The rest of them had decided to go on the offensive against the beast. Since Gudao was paranoid, he had requested that all of them not release their noble phantasms unless it was extremely dire. They had no idea if someone was watching them and they had to keep things under a low profile. They were far too early in the game to reveal their secrets too quickly.

Arturia was the one who currently held most of the beasts attention, being the most flashiest and brightest among them. She currently had her sword in its invisible form, surrounding it in wind and using it to part the sandstorm around her as she hacked and slashed at the beast.

The beast howled in pain as she managed to finally get a solid strike on it. The beast temporarily lost its footing thanks to the wound on its right leg. As it stumbled, Arturia stepped forward to follow up with another slash but found herself jumping backwards as the beasts eyes began glowing. A second later, another beam of magical energy surged towards her.

She raised her sword in preparation to defend herself when she suddenly felt something fly past her. A millisecond later, she heard the beast roar in pain and the beam of energy was suddenly diverted over her head. Looking up, she saw the beast reeling back in pain with an iron sword with a tint of red embedded in its chest.

Arturia suddenly blinked as she saw Mordred explode pass her. Her hands were void of any weapon and it took Arturia a moment to realize that Mordred had just thrown her sword like a boomerang, one of the most unethical things a knight could possibly do.

Mordred just smirked. She had no such quarrels about doing such a deed. To her, a sword was just a tool one as a means to win a battle. As long as she got the job done, she'll do anything to increase her chances of success. That included punching, biting, and even kicking like a beast. She didn't even have that much in terms of pure swordsmanship, simply just releasing swings and slashes with all her might.

There was barely any technique, but she didn't care. Technique was only used to help compensate for strength and she was by no means lacking in that department. Despite her small frame, she was one of the physically strongest servants in Chaldea and she wasn't afraid to boast about it.

Unfortunately, there was a limit to how much raw power can get you.

As she ran forward to pull the blade out of the beast and initiate the finishing blow, her eyes suddenly widened as the beast lashed out with its paws. Gritting her teeth, she jumped back and dodged a slash that would have bisected her in half. Much to her surprise, the beast was operating with her sword still stuck inside it.

 _"How?! I chucked that son of a bitch as hard as I could!"_ She inwardly complained to herself as she was forced backwards by the beast. Jumping backwards, she found herself next to Arturia, who was giving her a deadpan look.

"I thought you knew better than that, Mordred. No knight should ever let their sword leave from their hands." Arturia said in that stupid deadpan tone which Mordred hated so much.

"I don't need your stupid talk right now, _father._ " Mordred growled, saying the word 'father' like it was the worst insult she could have thought of. Arturia's expression just hardened a little bit, but it was unclear to Mordred what her father was even thinking right now. Was it disappointment? Hatred? Pity? She didn't know, and perhaps she never will.

She hated that look.

"You're without your weapon, Mordred. What do you plan to do without it? Do you plan to simply rush in their like a berserker and pummel it to death with your bare hands?"

"Beowulf does it." Mordred argued.

"Yes, but unlike him you'll just get in everyones way. You need to be on standby until we can get your sword back. Until then, stay out of everyones way." Arturia said as she began turning back to the beast, but was suddenly stopped as Mordred's grip suddenly latched onto her arm. Looking into her eyes, she saw them slightly glowing with anger.

"You expect me to sit by the sidelines like a spectator?! You insult me, Father! I am a warrior, not a little girl!" She hissed. Despite her anger, Arturia's eyes just narrowed as she stared down at her arm.

They were suddenly interrupted from further conversation when sounds of mechanical nature reach their ears. Turning, they found Robin in the sand next to them as he sniped at the monster. He wasn't the most skilled Archer at Chaldea, but he was much more efficient when it came to close combat than most of them. It also helped that he wasn't as honorable as most of them, letting him adapt to any opponent by using underhanded methods most wouldn't use.

"The two of you need to stow your family argument for later and focus on protecting our masters. You wouldn't want me to report this to them, would you?" Robin grumbled as he loaded another bolt into his crossbow.

"Stay out of this, thief. A warrior who strikes from the shadows doesn't belong in a discussion between knights." Mordred growled with clear distaste. She never really liked the Archer much. He was annoying and always acted way to relaxed, even during missions. It may have something to do with what he usually smoked, but she didn't bother to even find out.

Not only that, but she disliked him for other personal reasons. Loathe as she was to admit, his legend outshined her own and possibly that of her father's. Everyone know who Robin Hood was. The man who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. He was in movies, story books, and cartoons due to how noble his story supposedly was.

He was a hero, but he was far from noble.

"True. I never liked talking with you knightly type. It's all about 'honor' this and 'justice' that. When will you ever learn that shooting someone in the back isn't the worse thing in the world?" Robin said with a sigh as he ducked under another laser. "Also, watch your left."

Arturia and Mordred suddenly raised their hands to shield their faces as Kakashi ran past them, kicking up a trail of sand as he blitzed past with a pair of kunai in his hands. Before the beast could react, Kakashi had kicked himself up and shot towards the beast's face as he stabbed forward with his kunai. The beast howled in pain as the knives found their mark in the beast's eyes. As it thrashed around in panic, Kakashi loosened his grip on the knives and grabbed hold of Mordred's sword. Hanging onto it for dear life, he began transmitting lightning chakra through it, shocking the beast with an electric current that was several levels higher than normal electricity.

"Scathach! Medusa! Hold it down!" Kakashi ordered as he fought to keep himself from slipping. On his command, the two female servants dashed forth and quickly went to work. Scathach quickly leapt into the air and summoned several Gae Bolg prototypes, shooting them with accuracy as she aimed for the beasts legs, pinning it to the ground as the spears sank into the ground. As this happened, Medusa had circled around the beast and threw her chain, looping it around the beast's neck and forcing its neck to the ground and effectively immobilizing it.

"RASENGAN!"

Above them, Jiraiya had leapt into the air and dove towards the ground with his hand outstretched, creating a spiral blue orb of chakra that was rotating at such high speeds it seemed to be bending the wind around it. Quickly channeling chakra to his arms, Kakashi ripped the sword out of the monster and jumped backwards. The wound began rapidly stitching itself up, but it was far too late to fully recover as Jiraiya slammed the blue orb of chakra into the back of the creature with full force, creating an explosion that blocked their field of vision as dust and sand spewed everywhere.

When the dust finally cleared, they found Jiraiya standing over the monster's corpse as it slowly began to disintegrate with a blue color leaking out of its wounds. The servant's kept their eyes on the beast, making sure that the beast wasn't playing possum and resumed its attack when their backs were turned. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case as the final remains of the beast disappeared and dissipated into the atmosphere.

Mashu narrowed her eyes as she watched the servants regain their bearings. "Sempai... It seems the monster has fully disappeared. But... Something doesn't seem right..."

"You are right, Mashu." Da Vinci agreed with an analytical eye. "It's a higher rank among the divine species. Perhaps even slightly higher than that of a dragon. A divine entity."

"A sphinx." Gudao stated, knowing he recognized that beast somewhere.

"A mystical creature with the body of a lion and the face of a human." Medea noted, floating above them. "My first time observing such a specimen. It's certainly quite powerful and rich in magical mystery. It would be unwise for us to stay here with these things on the prowl."

"I agree." Jeanne said as she kneeled down next to Gabby and gave her a concerned look. "Gabby's not doing well. Her lips are turning blue. If we don't find a water source fast, I fear she'll become too dehydrated to walk around."

"What can we do? Connection with Chaldea is down so we can't get a digital map from Roman." Gabby coughed from her position, her voice scratchy and dry.

"If we're simply looking for a specific area, it won't be much of a problem for me. I always come prepared." Rummaging around in her pack, Da Vinci pulled out a small device with the Chaldea logo on the back. It looked sort of like a big circular watch, but there were no numbers of hands on the screen. Infusing some of her own prana, a small blinking reticle appeared in the center with another appearing above it.

"Hm... According to my scanner, there seems to be something of a water source to the North of here. The size of it appears to be some kind of oasis." Da Vinci informed."

"Then that's where we will go." Emiya said as he rejoined them, with Oda not too far behind with their belongings. "Their faces are starting to go pale and I highly doubt we'll be able to move far with them in such conditions." He gave Gudao a look. "Of course, we need your word, master."

Gudao nodded. Water sounded good, even if it had sand. He gave a nod to Emiya, signaling his approval. Seeing this, Emiya turned towards the rest of the servants to address them.

"Pack your stuff up, everyone! We're moving out!" The servants nodded and began packing up, salvaging anything that could remain useful for their journey. Arturia just gave one last look to Mordred before she went to join with the masters, leaving the knight of betrayal alone. Mordred simply just huffed in annoyance and turned to find her sw-

She suddenly paused when she found Kakashi standing in front of her with Clarent in his hands. Seeing her quizzical look, Kakashi simply held the handle of the sword out toward her.

"Nice sword." He said with a chipper tone, not like the usual uncomfortable or bitter tone that she would often get when spoken to. She quickly shook herself out of her shock and quickly grasped the sword.

"Thanks..." She muttered, shouldering the blade and looking away like her pride demanded of her. Much to her surprise, Kakashi simply chuckled and gave her a small pat on the back as he walked past.

"You have a nice throwing arm too. Try not to be so brash next time, though. None of us want to see you killed because you didn't have your weapon." Kakashi advised before pausing as Mordred gave him a glare. "Hey, it's not like I'm saying you're weak. You're quite strong, you know? I'm just saying that it'll be better for you if you didn't throw it so much. The sword wasn't meant for that kind of thing anyways."

"That's what father said." Mordred muttered as she thought about her father's words.

"Well, Arturia wasn't wrong." Kakashi shrugged. While he wouldn't let it show, he was kinda still wrapping his head around the fact that Mordred called Arturia, who was clearly female, her father. To each their own he guessed.

"Like father is. Father believes that I'm not worthy example of a knight, much less as her son. I don't act like a knight or uphold the standards apparently." Mordred grumbled, looking down at the ground.

Kakashi simply stood their silently, politely not acting on that comment. He knew the two of them had a shared history that was very volatile and unfortunate. Speaking about it in front of any of them, especially Mordred, would only end with the cold shoulder. As much as anyone could tell, Mordred hated her father and Arturia was simply trying her best to ignore her son.

Despite this, several of the servants around Chaldea theorized that there was more to it than that. Though mostly everyone didn't want to bother coming in between the two servants.

Except for Naruto, but even he knew better than to try and get between them.

"Kakashi! Mordred!"

The two of them looked up to find Scathach yelling at them, gesturing with her arm that clearly indicated for them to hurry the hell up. In the distance, the rest of the group had already began moving away towards the water source.

"Come on. Let's get moving." Kakashi said before his eye twinkled. "Let's see who can get their first."

"Is that a challenge?" Mordered asked, looking up curiously before smirking. "You're on then, old man."

"Is that so? Then how about we go on three." Kakashi said as he got into a ready position. As Mordred got into position next to him, he began to count down.

"Three."

Before Mordred could blink, Kakashi had already taken off at the speed of sound towards the group. Cursing out loud, she exploded after him using prana burst to help catch up.

"Hey! That's cheating!" She complained, but she oddly didn't sound angry. In fact, she seemed to have a small smile on her face as she rushed to keep up with the scarecrow. Scathach simply blinked in confusion as they rushed past her without stopping. For a moment she stood there frozen, but a smirk worked its way onto her face.

"Hey now... I can't let you two show me up." And with that, she sprinted after them as her warriors pride was evoked.

However, from the distance, someone was watching them go. It wasn't the silver knight, though, but one who was wrapped in the darkness of a black cloak. The appearance of the individual was covered by the black cloak and the straw hat that was worn on the head, casting a shadow over the individual's face.

He stared at them until they disappeared under the cover of the sandstorm. Once they had done so, the man leisurely stood up and began slowly, but surely, tailing after them. As he did so, he slowly raised his right hand and watched as a sudden black crow crawled out of his sleeve. Taking a small scroll from the inside of his cloak, he gave it to the crow which cawed once before flying off into the sandstorm with the scroll in its talons.

Until the group had made it to the water source, they claimed that they had felt like they were being watched. But whenever they turned around, they would only see something resemble a red cloud for a moment before it disappeared.

* * *

The group had arrived at a small oasis that was hidden out of view. While it was an oasis, it wasn't the targeted area that Da Vinci had originally targeted on her radar. Still, they decided to settle down and take a break for a moment so that the masters could rest before moving on.

"That was nice of you." Scathach said as she and Kakashi sat on top of a large boulder that wasn't too far from the camp and where they had decided to set up their defensive border. "Challenging her to a race like that. Making her smile."

"She's a child in the body of a young woman." Kakashi replied casually without looking up from his book. "And no matter how tough her facade is, she'll have all the wants and needs of a young child."

"Like parental love."

"Yes. Exactly."

She looked up from cleaning her spears and gave him an odd look. "What? Do you plan on filling in that void? In front of Arturia?"

"No. She just needs someone to talk to. Someone to nudge her in the right direction." Kakashi replied before he sighed. "Look, nothing is going to happen if nobody else gets involved. You of all people should know that these types of problems don't get solved by themselves. They're both too stubborn to admit their true feelings to each other."

"So you're going to be the one to bridge the gap between them? Because if that's true, then you'll be bridging a gap the size of a canyon. What makes you think you'll be able to do so?" Scathach questioned with a curious look.

Kakashi just shrugged. "We're teachers, right? It's our job to guide people in the right direction. If there's a problem Naruto wouldn't ignore it. Even though most of us wish he could."

"And what if they don't want our help?"

"Too bad. There is no refund." Kakashi said as he stood up. "We're the last hopes of humanity. Whatever happens between one of us effects us all. I know I haven'e been here that long, but I know for sure that we can't afford to let this kind of thing spiral out of control." He looked up into the distance and saw Jiraiya jogging towards them. "It's Jiraiya's shift now. Try not to kill him like last time."

Scathach didn't react to the joke and simply watched silently as Kakashi left the post. As they passed, the two men exchanged a formal greeting before Jiraiya now occupied the rock besides her.

"You better not try to ask me about modeling for your perverted book." Scathach said to the pervert as he settled down in a lotus position. "I'm not some kind of toy for you boys."

Jiraiya huffed and crossed his arms, giving him the impression of being angry but Scathach knew better after interacting with him. "Why must you always look down on my work? For the last time, it's not just about porn. That's a secondary benefit. It's about romance and pure action! If you'd actually read my book, you'd understand."

"The day I touch one of your books will be on the day that someone manages to defeat me." She scoffed.

"Oho? Then I shall hold your word on that." Jiraiya grinned. If Tsunade ever taught him anything, it would be that women like her were terrible gamblers.

The two settle into comfortable silence. While they may have argued on Jiraiya's literature, they were still respectable partners. Age wise, he was one of the oldest servants in Chaldea along with her, though she wouldn't tell anyone her age. Jiraiya was also her source of information on Kakashi, since the man barely told her anything about himself and she couldn't find a book about ancient Shinobi in the archives. Possibly because Shakespeare loved to rotate the selection every week or so.

Speaking of information...

"By the way Perv," She smirked upon seeing the man's annoyed look. "I'm very bored and I haven't been outside of the Land of Shadows since Chaldea summoned me. Why don't you tell me a story?"

Jiraiya blinked. "What are you, five? I don't have many stories besides my own to tell and you've made it very clear about how much you hate them."

"I'm not talking about something you'd find in a book." Scathach replied with a roll of her eyes before a thoughtful smile found its way on her face. "How about some dirt. Why don't you tell me something about little bro Naruto, preferably something embarrassing."

He hated being called that, but he respectfully referred to her as his big sis. Why not? Even he knew better than to go against her for fear of her Gae Bolg. Besides, she was technically older than him anyway. Even before he was born she was in the Land of Shadows which didn't exist on the physical plane.

Jiraiya's frown turned into a smirk. "That's easy. I have quite a bit of those." He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Yes... Here's one. There was a time when I shoved him off a cliff..."


	28. Ruins of Knowledge (Chaldea)

"There."

Naruto pointed at a specific part of the map, one spot that was out of the way from all the other civilizations. On one side were structures that were unmistakably pyramids of ancient Egypt. On the other side of the desert was a massive city of diamond that had some kind of force field around it. And between them was a large line of mountains, acting as the border line that kept the two of them apart.

The space he was pointing to was above all of them, in the part of the desert that wasn't peppered with shacks or inhabited. It didn't help that the place was on fire and there seemed to be ruins of some sort laying around.

"Ruins of some sort." Dr. Roman pointed out the obvious as he zoomed in. "Though they're nothing like that of this time. They're more modern, but it's clear that it was a facility of some sort. I'm also detecting a much larger section under the surface, which must mean that this was some kind of underground bunker." He frowned. "Hold on..."

"What is it?" Naruto asked with a curious look as he watched the doctor work. He was trying to keep up with what the man was doing, but he couldn't understand any of the numbers or variables that were scrolling across the screen at a rapid pace. He could discern some key words like mana and Od, but that was about it.

"Just as I thought." Roman said as a yellow line drew a boundary around the burning area. "This is the first time I've ever seen something like this, but there is no doubt about what it is. These ruins are part of another time, or to be more exact, from our time."

"2016?"

"2004 to 2016 I believe." Roman estimated as he placed a finger on his chin with a thoughtful look. "Although I can't seem to get an actual read on the building. There's some kind of powerful magical wards and enchantments around the place that's blocking our sensors."

"A magical facility?" Naruto suggested, having heard of things like that.

"A very likely guess." Roman nodded in agreement. "Although I do not know which one it could possibly be. I haven't been to any other magical societies other than the Clock Tower, though I am sure we can rule out that place. It has some powerful enchantments, but it's mostly above ground and never really had to worry about security since they had the military under their thumb."

"I have an idea."

The two of them looked towards the entrance to find a young man with long black hair that reached past his shoulders. Atop his face was a pair of glasses that rested at the tip of his nose, giving him the impression of a strict professor at a college academy or more likely, a businessman if his suit was any indication. In his mouth was a cigar, a brand of which Naruto didn't notice. It wasn't like he was a fan of smoking, but he was pretty sure that most cigars didn't have a drago insignia on the side of it.

"Hello Lord El-Melloi II." Roman greeted the former professor of the Clock Tower as he walked into the room. "It's good to see you. Also, you know this room is a non-smoking area."

The man sighed before grabbing the cigar and throwing it behind him without looking, easily landing the relief item in a trash can outside. "Yes, yes, I know. But on to the main point. You're curious as to what that place is, correct?"

"Details would be appreciated." Naruto admitted, not really that in touch with how magical society worked nowadays.

"Then you're lucky I'm the one taking Tesla's place today." El Melloi II said as he strolled over and took a look at the map in front of them. As he did so, Roman and Naruto silently let him pass to do his work.

Naruto found it quite surprising that the man remembered him from their past war in Trifas. Of course, he was generally surprised to find him in Chaldea at all. Apparently the man was acting as the most compatible host of the famous strategist Zhuge Kongming. He had simply been summoned that way and nobody knew why, but it was possibly because the heroic spirit didn't want to actually help them physically and only decided to give the professor his powers before leaving.

He was impressed that the man was able to house such a powerful heroic spirit, albeit very briefly. While not strong physically as usual of the caster class, the man was a strategic military general that was able to defend his smaller state from the assault of one of the largest armies at that time. Even in death, the man was still able to outsmart his opponents one final time.

A strategic genius from an age before him. He would have been pretty excited to meet someone like that, but he knew how politicians could be. Danzo was a great example of that.

He shivered.

That being said, Waver had already finished scanning the area for whatever it was that he was looking for. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned to them and took out a small pointer from his pocket before pointing it at the center of the yellow circle the map had created.

"Judging by the bunker like design of the facility and the nearly fifty century old protective wards, I can almost guarantee that this place was formerly the magical facility of the Atlas Academy."

Naruto's eye brows scrunched up in confusion while Roman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Atlas? The magical institute? the one in the mountains?"

"Small description, but basically yes." Waver shrugged like a regular professor who had given you an 'okay' answer. "Atlas Academy was in the Atlas mountains, yes, but it's a lot more than that. It's one of the oldest magical institutes and one of the most dangerous for their... odd tendencies."

"Odd tendencies?" Naruto frowned, not liking where this was going.

"They're alchemists. The oddest of the odd. Unlike others, they didn't care much about surpassing themselves and getting stronger. Rather, they created ideas and objects that had the ability to surpass them." Waver explained, adopting a lecturing pose subconsciously.

"'We have no need to be the strongest. We create that which is the strongest'. That's one of their more famous quotes, right?" Roman asked, somewhat surprised at himself for remembering something like that.

"Indeed. I believe it was said by one of the late directors." Waver said with a satisfied nod. "That's also their most central dogma for all Atlas alchemists. Following that kind of principle, the academy has given birth to an arsenal of lethal and dangerous weaponry. In the world of magic, they are called the Seven Taboos. it was said that they had created seven weapons with the power to destroy the world before realizing their own limits, and sealed them away. No one knows who created them or why, but they're several of the most coveted treasures they have."

"Doomsday weapons." Naruto noted, uncomfortable with the fact that humanity had been creating things like these and he hadn't known about it.

"Exactly. The place is the biggest stockpile of mystic codes and magical objects without equal on this earth. Though if anyone was to be honest, the place was just a highly volatile junkyard. The alchemists had mostly created mystic codes, deemed them failures, and tossed them in the basement to let them form into a horrifying mound of weapons." Waver shrugged. "That's enough firepower to put the explosion of the Nuclear bomb to shame. The clocktower kept an eye on them, but we barely got any outside activity. The true party..."

He zoomed in the picture, revealing some barely noticeable staircases that were half-buried under the rubble.

"...Is under ground. Those staircases should lead you directly to the lower levels without a problem. I highly suggest we should get a servant to check it out. If someone decided to ransack the place they would have access to an unlimited source of weapons, which Atlas itself has worked hard to protect."

"But I don't believe there's anyone who can go right now..." Roman muttered as he placed a perplexed hand on his chin. "And communications are still down so I can't get the squad to check it out. Besides, they already seem to already have their hands full to be burdened with such a task right now."

"Perhaps Nero could go. She's been dying for some action."

"She's too curious for her own good. The second she gets there the entire place is going to go up in flames."

As the two continued to talk and come up with potential possibilities and the best way to tackle them, Naruto raised his hand up and cut his way through their conversation.

"I could go." He offered, causing the two of them to pause and look at him.

"Go?" Roman echoed with a confused look. "Didn't you say that you couldn't go because you'd basically be causing a time-crash? What's with the sudden change of mind?"

Naruto shrugged. "If I limit myself to the standards of a normal human, I'm sure I won't effect the singularity too much." He suddenly kicked his feet bashfully. "And the reason I didn't go with them was because I am kinda... out of practice."

"Out of practice?" Waver raised an eyebrow. How does a god get out of practice?

"I've been out of it for a really long time." Naruto said as he scratched his head. "I mean thanks to my powers, I don't really have to try in fights as much any more. Without them, I'm not sure how much I would fare in a real smackdown." He paused. "Well, I can testify that I'm way higher than most of the average servants in terms of skill. Maybe as martially good as Scatty. I'm pretty sloppy though. Other than that, I think I'm ready."

"You sure? I don't think we can leyshift you out of there once you go beneath the surface. The magical wards are interfering with the system." Roman warned.

"This seems like a good time to get back into action. The last thing I need is to find myself stripped of my powers and not be of any use on the field." Naruto said with a crack of his knuckles. "Fire the machine up Doc. I'll be leaving right now."

"You haven't explained how you were going to limit your power." Waver reminded, a slightly curious look on his face. To answer him, Naruto rolled up his sleeve and revealed markings resembling a tattoo that slightly glowed with power.

"These are power limiter seals." Naruto explained, pointing to the complicated engravings. "There are at least 13 different seals designed to restrict my power and prevent me from leaking energy. Gaia usually gets mad when I don't try to keep myself in check, sort of a compromise me and her have that allows me to stay on earth for as long as I want."

"Really? I would have thought that you'd gone to the other side of the world where all the other elementals were said to exist." Roman said, interested in the topic of where the gods had gone after worship began to wane. He had asked Artemis about it once, but the goddess was way to ditsy to properly give him a simple explanation.

Oh yeah. They also had goddesses here. Apparently they could hijack servants and invade the world in a limited form. Go figure.

"Pretty much all of them did." Naruto shrugged. "They're all pretty old. Mean included. We all have to follow a specific set of rules that Gaia imposed on us so that we don't go around and mess up the balance of the universe. I'm not limited to those kinds of rules, though. I'm just special that way."

"What's different about you? Granted, history places you as one of the most middle aged gods but that doesn't make you any different." Waver noted.

"Well, I wasn't a god from birth you know? I was just a regular human. Granted, I had special circumstances, but I was simply just a fairly powerful human being from the get go. I only became a god later when I reabsorbed the tailed beasts and achieved a perfect state of divinity. So you can say that I'm sort of... out of the loop."

He held up his finger. "Of course, the other gods have a way of bypassing this rule but rarely ever do so. Take Artemis for example, she simply hijacked the summoning of Orion and entered this world as a spiritual body that was several levels lower as compensation to abide by the rules of the world. If she hadn't done so, I doubt anyone looking upon her would remain standing. Their true forms are nothing to scoff at."

"And you're sure that you'll be okay?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I will. Just fire up the machine."

Waver and Roman glanced at each other before shrugging and began preparing the machine to launch. As the machine began to hum, Roman typed in the coordinates while Naruto headed towards the coffins for leyshifting.

"Just so you know... The desert is going to be messing with the communications. Until I can find a workaround, you'll be on your own like the rest of them."

"I'll link up with them." Naruto promised as he zipped up his jacket. "I'm a great sensor, so I shouldn't have any problem finding them. Once you get back in contact I'll let you know what I found."

Roman nodded and gave Waver the thumbs up. Nodding, the magus flipped a switch and the process began. As the machine powered up, the room was illuminated in a flash as Naruto disappeared within through space and time.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself directly outside the ruins Waver had pinpointed on the map. He breathed a sigh of relief. For once, the Doctor managed to actually get the correct landing zone this time. If it wasn't for the fact he had been told many stories about the doctor's 'ley shift screw ups', he wouldn't have been very tense.

He moved quickly. Not only was a sandstorm about to hit, but he also felt his shinobi instincts take over. Right now, he had to make sure that he wasn't seen by anyone. This place was far out of the way for anyone to accidentally run into. Thus, whoever is here knew exactly what the facility was.

Moving the small amounts of rubble with a slight amount of effort, he made a small opening for him to get through. Crawling through, he found himself greeted with the flickering lights of magical lamps that lined the descending cavern.

"And I thought Orochimaru's lab was creepy..."

He descended the stairs and found himself into a passageway that began splitting off into several other hallways. Narrowing his eyes, he looked for anything inconspicuous. Waver had told him that the place was a magical facility. And if it was anything like Orochimaru's, there was no doubt going to be a lot of traps lying around to prevent anyone from getting in. Probably a bunch of pressure plates or some-

He suddenly spun around and drew a kunai, stopping it a few millimeters away from the neck of a man who looked... British? Maybe. He had no idea how the man had managed to get downstairs without him hearing. His clothing consisted of a simple black suit with matching black suit pants. His hair was a dark shade of blue, and his skin was extremely pale. In his hands was a small smoking pipe like the ones they would use commonly in old England.

Despite the kunai at his neck, the man just smiled.

"You might want to watch your left. You nearly stepped on a pressure pad."

Naruto stared at the man as he processed what he had said. Without taking his eyes off him, he moved his left foot out and felt around for a bit until he felt something click under his toes.

A bolt of light suddenly shot out of the wall, flying past them and causing a small scorch mark on the wall behind the blue haired man.

"Told you so."

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, slightly loosening his grip on the man. It was obvious he wasn't here to kill him, but something unsettled him about this man.

"Why isn't it obvious? My clothing, my manner of speaking... does it not ring any bells?" The man asked with mock hurt, but it was clear he didn't expect him to know.

"Just get to the point. You're clearly British, possibly around the mid eighteen-hundreds if I were to wager. I don't personally know anyone else who would be born during that time besides Jack. And you're clearly not a loli."

"Quite the acute deduction, Mr. Maelstrom. Missed a couple clear details, but it's mostly there." The man said with a shrug as he tipped his pipe towards him in acknowledgement at his bewildered look.

"Wait, ho-" Naruto began.

"Do I know your name? Simple deduction." The man shrugged as he sauntered around him, eyeing him up and taking in details. "The weapons you use are that of a shinobi, limiting you to that of Japan. You also match the description of certain lost manuscripts that describe a man of your stature. Blonde hair, the sacred spiral, and whiskers like a fox... No heroic spirit could mistake such a description. A trivial deduction." The man declared with a shrug. "As for who I am, i'll just say it for simplicity sake. I am Sherlock Holmes, The Great Detective of Baker Street."

Naruto's eyes widened. Now he felt like a complete idiot. There weren't many british heroic spirits who would take on an appearance like this. The ones most likely would be those of the younger era. The last several years before heroes vanished.

His voice wasn't very haughty either. Most of the servants from Britain had some trace of royal or formal tone in their accent. This man had none of that whatsoever. In fact, his tone was sharper and much more informal.

"Although I guess it can't be helped that you don't notice me. I don't show up much." Sherlock said with a shrug. "Being in the spotlight isn't much of my thing. I only solve cases, but even those have been boring lately. I mean, the murder of a prime minister? B-O-R-I-N-G!"

"Then why are you here? A magical nuclear shelter is your idea of a vacation?" Naruto asked, holstering his kunai as he gave the man a skeptical look. "Spill it."

"Well, as I was saying, the cases I've been getting were quite boring lately. I had almost given up hope that I'd get anything, but lo and behold, I have been visited by an interesting client to solve this wonderful mystery!" He paced back and forth energetically. "Yes... The greatest murder mystery ever produced. How can something like the death of humanity even happen? Why would the legendary king of magic be the culprit? So many things just don't add up and I'm going to unravel this wonderful tapestry!"

Naruto stared at the man with a frown. "Okay... but that doesn't explain why you're here."

"Knowledge. That is why I'm here." Sherlock replied as he stopped his pacing. "What I require to solve this mystery is down here in the catacombs of the Atlas facility. That is why I'm here. I would go and get in myself but..."

He gestured to himself. "My form is weak right now. Traveling between timelines are quite hard on the body. As such, I deduced that someone else would eventually come to this facility to investigate."

"So you're saying that you were waiting for someone to clear the way for you." Naruto summarized with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, isn't that why you are here? You have no doubt made contact with Chaldea. Whatever is inside here is also of your concern." Sherlock pointed out. "We can both help each other out. You clear the way, and I'll follow.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his head. He came here to do just that anyway. No big deal having someone tag along. Although it meant that he'd have to deal with protecting him since he couldn't fight in his current state.

"Fine. Follow me and stick close. I like my meat shields within grabbing distance." Naruto said as he took out a kunai and began walking down the hallway.

"Certainly! You just focus on protecting me and we'll be all good to go!" Sherlock exclaimed with a grin as he followed Naruto.

* * *

"I wish we were back at the oasis..." Gabby muttered as they trudged through the desert, having already decided it was time to leave the shelter behind to explore.

"Be patient, Gabby." Medea chided as she walked beside her in a calm manner. "We're almost there. Near the pyramids. We can stop when we get there."

"But that's a problem. There aren't supposed to be any pyramids in this era." Da Vinci explained as she monitored her device. "My only guess is that either a servant created them or another singularity is bleeding into this one."

"Let's just hope they're friendly." Gudao said as they continued to trudge on through the sandstorm.

"Mas-rs!" Emiya suddenly called from the flank. Turning around, they found him trying to tell them something, but the sandstorm was carrying his voice away. Judging by his expression, however, it was probably not good.

"Somethings approaching!" Da Vinci suddenly exclaimed as her device began beeping. "Whatever it is, it's fast. Faster than a sphinx!"

"Stay behind us." Kakashi said as he stood in front of them. "Jiraiya, you be the distraction. I'll get on them from behind."

"Why do I have to be the distraction?" Jiraiya complained.

"Because you're the louder of the two of us. They'll be more attracted to you."

"True." Scathach agreed with a small smirk. "You're kind of hard to miss."

"Actually, they don't seem to be phantasmal creatures." Da Vinci cut in, pointing to several small shapes that were running towards them. "They're smaller. Possibly humans from the pyramids."

"You think they see us as invaders?" Gabby asked with concern. It wouldn't do for them to make an enemy of Egypt.

"Better safe than sorry. No killing." Gudao ordered, earning a nod from the servants. As the shapes got closer, the party blinked when they realized that they were indeed not phantasmal creatures. Instead, they were humans who were dressed in black cloaks and running towards them at high speeds. What caught their attention the most, however, was the white skull masks they were each wearing.

"Hassans!"

"But their signatures... They have a servant among them!" Mashu informed, readying her shield. Assassin class servants were quite a troublesome for to deal with. The first chance they get to attack the masters will no doubt be one they will take immediately. They had to be on guard.

As the Hassans got closer, they suddenly began moving into some kind of formation. Leading the squad from the front was a ponytailed blue haired woman who tensed upon seeing them. Her eyes quickly widened when she saw just who was amongst the people in front of them. True, mostly all of them were new to her, but two of them were definitely recognizable.

"Lady Hundred-faces..." One of the men hissed. "It's sir Mordred and some other knight bearing the symbol of the lion king. Your orders?"

"Sir Mordred? Alone without any knight regiments? That doesn't make any sense." The servant replied, quickly scanning the situation. "The others don't bear the markings of the king either. A simple trick. Probably some reserved force to lower our guard."

"Orders?" The Hassan repeated.

"Make an example. If we can't, then we run." And with that, she quickly pulled out several daggers from her belt and threw them at the team.

"Hostile!" Kakashi yelled as he swatted the daggers out of the air. "Everybody on me!"

"Who made you the leader?" Mordred asked as she stood next to him. As she did so, several of the hassans faltered for a moment before resuming their charge. As the two groups ran at each other, they began separating and forcing all of them away from each other.

And luckily for Kakashi, he was the one who got the leader.

"Stand down, Hassan. We do not mean any harm." He said as he took out a kunai and traded strikes with the Hassan, sparks flying as their knives struck.

"And why should I believe that? You may not bear the mark of the king, but you associate yourself with the likes of them. That is enough for met to hate you." The hassan growled as she lashed out with a kick which Kakashi blocked and pushed back, throwing her backwards.

She was good. There was no doubt about that. In terms of skill, she was definitely up there with the likes of the jounin. If it wasn't for the fact that she didn't have chakra, he would have mistaken her for a Suna shinobi.

But there was something he had that she didn't. Something that gave him the edge over her.

The Hassan's eyes widened in surprise under her mask as she found the blade of her knife cleaved in half. Kakashi's kunai had suddenly become swathed with electricity, increasing the sharpness of his blade which allowed it to slice cleanly through her own.

"Surrender now, Hassan. There is still time for us to work this out." Kakashi offered calmly. The Hassan simply scowled and pulled out two more knives, one for each hand.

"Okay... Have it your way." Kakashi muttered as he raised his kunai. As he did so, he suddenly saw a shape out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head slightly, he saw one of the larger men keeping himself out of the fighting. In fact, he seemed like he was trying to avoid being drawn into one. Over his back was a sack of some sort, though it looked too big for food and supplies. It was big enough to hold several spears in.

Or a body...

That bag was important. Whatever was inside it was more important than food. Otherwise, he wouldn't attempt to hide himself. He had no doubt the Hassans could survive on their own. Even with their limited resources they were men of the desert. This was their habitat.

Unfortunately, it seems like the purple haired hassan has caught on to what he was thinking as she stepped in front of him with her knives poised to strike. Her stance was quite a clear, 'you shall not pass'.

Guess he was going to have to do things the hard way.

* * *

"These golems are annoying..." Naruto muttered as he sliced through another robotic golem as it lumbered towards him with a halberd. "Wonder why these defenses weren't outside."

"That's because these things were to prevent anybody from leaving." Holmes answered from behind him. "Atlas was very strict on the 'no leaving' policy. Anybody may enter, but nobody may leave. That's why these halls are designed the way they are. They make it impossible for anyone to escape. Fortunately, I have already memorized the way out of here."

"Least you're useful for something." Naruto muttered as they continued their way down the hallway, bypassing the traps along the way. "What are you looking for exactly? A magic item?"

"Like I said, I'm looking for information." Sherlock said as he ducked underneath a flying arrow that was released from a hidden slot in the wall. "Information that I do not currently have available to me. Deep within the academy is supposed to be a super computer of some sort with information of all things ever since the academy had been created. With it, I shall find the answers that I need. Or at least, part of it."

"And you're sure that it's still operational?"

"Doubts are low. The upper part of the facility had been obliterated, but the lower parts have remained intact. I believe there should be enough power for me to utilize it."

He suddenly paused. "By the way, do you happen to know a Dr. Roman by any chance?"

Naruto blinked and stopped at that sudden question. "The doc? Yeah, I know him. Why?"

"Then let me make this clear." Sherlock said, his voice oddly serious. "I do not trust the doctor."

If it was possible, the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees as Naruto processed what the man had just said. His eyes narrowed at that. He would have doubted it if it were anyone else, but this was the smartest man when it came to analysis.

"And what makes you say that?"

"You'll see when I show you. I'm not telling you that the Doctor is certainly a spy, but I simply cannot trust him with information of my involvement." Sherlock said, his tone lacking of its previous humor. "You understand where I'm coming from, don't you? I'm simply cautious."

"Sure. But explain. Now." Naruto ordered with a commanding tone.

"When we get to the super computer." Sherlock said as he walked past him. "I think it's past this hall here."

Following after him, Naruto soon found himself in a huge dome like structure staring up at the... sky? He frowned. No. It was a man-made sky that had been designed to replicate life above ground.

The area was large enough to build a small city or town. There were trees, rivers, and even small birds that flew around the area. It was amazing to think the place was man-made. Especially when these people seemed like the type to focus more on their studies.

"We've finally made it." Sherlock said with a grin, his old tone coming back. "The central hub of Atlas."

"Where's the computer?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"Right over there."

Following his finger, Naruto found himself staring at a large structure in the shape of an orb with several stone objects floating around it. It was centered in the center of the hub and flickered with residues of mana, showing that it was functioning to some degree.

"Wait... But that's..."

"Exactly. The machine you have in Chaldea is built exactly like this one." Sherlock confirmed as he began walking. "Now then... Let's see if this thing has any more jui-"

"Get back!" Naruto suddenly yelled as he grabbed the man and pulled him behind him. In front of him, several objects flew out of the air and hit the ground in front of them. With a cracking sound, the objects stood up and revealed themselves to be...

"Puppets." Naruto muttered as he brandished his kunai. "These aren't golems. I know these kinds of designs anywhere. Golems magi use aren't made out of wood too often."

"Somebody you know?" Sherlock guessed

"Not many too famous. But..." His eyes drifted towards the base of the machine, where a figure stood over the control board. "I have an idea."

The puppets made a jerking motion and several weapons popped out of each of them in a unique manner. Scythes, saws, kunai launchers, these things were packed with weaponry.

"You came later than expected. He said that you would show up eventually." The figure spoke in an emotionless voice as it continued handling the controls. It was familiar, but Naruto could only briefly place it.

The figure turned, revealing a young man in a familiar red and black cloak. His red hair was messy and looked like it hadn't been combed. His right and left hands remained still. Whenever they twitched, however, the puppets jerked in response.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. How could anyone like him be summoned as a servant?

Seeing his look, the man just sighed.

"You know, I hate being kept waiting."


	29. Monstrous allies (Chaldea)

**Hey guys! Just want to make a quick address to an anonymous reviewer who claims that I have been basically copying other peoples fanfictions. While there is one small part that closely resembles a part from another fanfiction, the rest have been from my own rough drafts. I also tend to copy a bit from the translations on the fate series from a website called Chaldeum that's dedicated to translating FGO for the rest of us. Or reddit. I tend to copy off that a bit so I apologize if it feels a bit too similar. Other fanfic writers tend to do the same thing and copy off of them too so don't be surprised if many have nearly the same writing.**

 **Also like I said in the last few chapters, I don't want this story just being about Naruto effing shit up wherever he goes without a sweat. It wouldn't be interesting otherwise.**

 **With that said, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"What are you even doing here, Sasori?" Naruto questioned as he stared with narrowed eyes at the Akatsuki member. Though he may have known about this particular member only briefly, Sakura had told him enough for him to get a picture of how he was like.

Sasori of the red sand... That was his moniker, given to him from all the warring villages who went against Suna in the great war. He got that name from being a particular monster in the battlefields of the desert, slaughtering enemy shinobi in such numbers that the sand would turn red from the blood. He was also one of the greatest artisans of poison at that time, creating ones nearly impossible to replicate an antidote for.

He was dangerous. Among all the puppet users, he was by far the greatest and the most dangerous. He claimed the puppets he made were works of eternal art, but they were nothing more than wooden corpses repurposed by him for his own uses.

Dangerous beyond compare. He had to tread lightly right now. He couldn't release more than thirty percent of his power right now. Any more and the place might collapse from the inside. And if that happened, that important information they needed was going to be lost within the rubble.

"Wondering what I'm doing here?" Sasori asked, his tone as neutral and emotionless like a puppet as always. "Don't be. I'm here for the same reason you are. Information is key after all."

"And what information would you need?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"The information regarding the world's end. It's the reason why I was summoned, after all." Sasori replied, causing Naruto's eyes to widen.

"Who summoned you? We know you don't have the ability to just pull yourself from the throne." Naruto said with a wary look. Anyone who would think of summoning Sasori must not have been in their right mind.

"I can tell you don't trust me." Sasori noted with a shrug. "I don't blame you. But before you think of vaporizing me, I suggest you take time to think it through. Without me, the mountain people above will loose one of their assets preventing the Holy City from trampling them. Do you want that to happen? Do you want the loss of life to be on your hands?"

"What are you talking about, Sasori?" Naruto growled, not liking where this was going. "And why would you, a wandering killer, protect these people you speak of? If I recalled, you never had any apathy of human life to begin with."

"You'll know what I'm speaking of when we get above ground." Sasori replied as his hand suddenly twitched, causing the puppets to suddenly disappear in a poof of smoke. He stepped away from the console and gestured to the controls. "Take that as an invitation of peace from me. Use the computer. I will not stop you."

Naruto stared at him, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth. No matter how low he restricts his power, he will always be able to sense the emotions of others and discern what they are feeling. What he got from Sasori, however, was near emptiness. He was like a puppet made up of magical energy.

But...

He couldn't detect an ounce of lie in his words. Whatever the situation may be, he may be at least kept at arms length for now. There were too many questions that needed answers, but he could at least focus on the one thing he came here to do.

"Find what you need, Sherlock." Naruto ordered, lowering his kunai but not holstering it.

"Tally ho!" Sherlock exclaimed with unrestrained excitement as he approached the controls and began typing away. "Administrator access? You certainly made quick work of the system."

Sasori remained silent, but Sherlock didn't seem to notice as he continued to type away at the console. The machine began flickering on with words and numbers as a hologram of files and records appeared in front of them.

He began scrolling through the files, looking for the specific piece of information that he had came here for. As he worked, Naruto couldn't help but be slightly astounded by how fast the man processed these thousands of files. He'd open up a file, sift through their pages in a matter of milliseconds, and quickly move to another one.

Not even he could process information that fast. It was most definitely an ability that couldn't be gained through training. It was simply an inhuman ability he had been born with.

"Japan... Grail... fifth..." Sherlock muttered as he scrolled through the files. Finally he stopped on a certain file and snapped his finger. "Bingo. I have everything that I need."

"What did you find?"

"The information on the fifth holy grail war." Sherlock said as he exited out of the file. "Everything is in there. The victor, the participants, and what came after the war. The computer has documented it all."

He continued typing on the console. "The winner of the fifth Holy Grail war was the first director of Chaldea. Whatever the case may be, he traveled to Fuyuki Japan with a assistant and took part in the war. He eventually succeeded, killing all seven magi and taking the grail for himself. His personal wish, however, is unknown."

"What, the computer didn't tell you?"

"It's a super computer that only looks at the results. The wish wasn't documented." Sherlock shrugged. "They only seek the truth. Everything else is just a secondary goal. If I had to guess, his wish would be for success and prosperity as a magus. When he returned to the clock tower His name, Marisbilly Animusphere, was now recognized by his peers. His research and theories which had been regarded as not important now suddenly were now bringing success and recognition to his family name."

"So the director interacted with a Holy Grail..." Naruto muttered. "They told me the first singularity that had occurred was there. Whatever it was, Fuyuki must have been the sparking point for this entire mess."

"Not the sparking point, no, but definitely a place of importance." Sherlock corrected. "After Chaldea was established, he began sending invitations for potential staff members who would be well equipped to handle the threats towards the world. Most of the important cabinets had been filled, but there is one that has piqued my interest. He sent an invitation to his personal assistant, citing him as an important asset. It is quite odd for him to do so, however. A young man of 22 years taking the position of the head of medical? That's something I would say wasn't human."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "The doctor? He knew the first director?"

"Now you see why I'm cautious of him." Sherlock said, turning to him. "The computer doesn't have any information of him regarding his past." He paused. "Well it might, though it will require more power for me to go through a billion more files that change every single year. He's effectively a ghost in the system, an unknown factor with an unknown past."

Naruto bit his lip. The man might have been a little bit pessimistic, but he was a good man. He was awkward, but his actions show that his heart was in the right place. But was that a front? Was he a spy?

The basic rule of those trained by ROOT was to act like someone you weren't. People tend to suspect less of you if you're nothing like what they think of you to be.

But he was sure that Roman wasn't like that. No. If he was, everything he had done up until this point goes against everything the King of Magic had been hoping to do.

If he WAS a spy, then he'll take care of it.

"I'll keep that in mind. I won't tell him anything of your involvement out of respect for your wishes, but do not think for a moment that the doctor is most certainly evil."

"Just keep that in mind. An open mind is best during these situations." Sherlock said as he stepped back from the computer. "I'm done here. I'll lead the way back now."

"There is no need."

Naruto and Sherlock turned to see Sasori holding a thin wire from his fingers, tracing it back all the way into the hallway that they had came from to enter the underground dome.

"I left a wire trail behind when I entered. I was informed that this place was a copy of the labyrinth." Sasori said simply.

"Like the myth of Thesus and the golden twine." Sherlock smirked. "Lead the way, O' Red Sand."

A small scowl appeared on Naruto and Sasori's faces.

"Don't talk like that." Naruto grumbled as they began leaving.

* * *

"What's so special about him?" Kakashi grunted as he traded blows with the female Hassan as she tried to prevent him from charging towards the large man in the back.

"Wouldn't you like to know." The Hassan growled as she jumped backwards to avoid another slash.

Since kakashi's kunai have been wreathed in lightning, it was almost suicidal for her to try and block his slashes with her own knives as they would just be cleanly slashed through. As such, she had limited herself to range and making sure to keep the man away by a set distance.

She would have favored taking him out using range, but the man was just as good as throwing his weapon as she was. Unlike her own, however, his knives seemed made for throwing as well as close combat on a higher level than her own.

Gritting her teeth as she watched him deflect another thrown knife, she tried to formulate another plan in her head. He was clearly not like the knights of camelot. He fought more like her. Which meant she wouldn't be able to outsmart him.

"Think fast!" Kakashi called out as he threw a kunai at her. Cursing, she jumped backwards and narrowly avoided having the projectile pierce her skull. Before she could land however, Kakashi suddenly pulled back with his arms and she found herself hitting the ground.

"What?!" She exclaimed as she found herself being dragged across the sand. Looking down, she saw a thin piece of wire that had been unnoticeable to her before. He must have slipped it on her when she was distracted trying to dodge his lightning!

Cursing in her native tongue, she quickly cut the wire and stood back up only to find that Kakashi wasn't there. Spinning around, she saw him make a beeline directly for her subordinate carrying the package.

"Jaasir! Drop the package! We're leaving!" Hassan ordered. Seeing Kakashi approach him, the man quickly dropped the bag and ran off. As he did so, the rest of the hassans began following suit and jumping away into the sandstorm.

"Wait!" Gudao called out. They haven't gotten any answers!

"Let's see you find your way around now, soldiers of the lion king." Hundred face growled as she jumped backwards. "You're trapped directly between the sun kings domain and our own. Next time we see you, you won't be so lucky and we'll make you pay for this insult."

And with that warning, the Hassans retreated into the sandstorm. Kakashi waited for a few seconds to see if they were coming back, but it seemed like they wouldn't. He holstered the kunais and jogged over to the package the man was carrying. When he got closer, he could see that it was indeed some sort of body bag if those small tufts of hair that were poking out of the top were any indication.

Getting down on one knee, he cautiously unclasped the bag and opened it up to reveal the form of a young tan woman with purple hair and clothes resembling those of a noble from Egypt. Judging by her even breathing and her closed eyes, she was definitely unconscious and had been for a while.

But there was also the fact that she was a servant if her aura was anything to go by.

"Kakashi!" Gabby yelled as she, Gudao, and Da Vinci ran over to him. "What's in the bag?"

"An Egyptian servant from the looks of it." Kakashi said as he managed to gently move the unconscious girl out of the bag. "Most likely those Hassans were kidnapping her for some reason. Perhaps leverage against this supposed 'sun king' she mentioned briefly about."

"Sun king?" Gudao questioned.

"The hassan mentioned it before she left. She only gave me a title, though there is high enough evidence to suggest that she was talking about a Pharaoh, rulers of Egypt and avatars of the god Horus." Kakashi said, having read about them in the archives about a week ago. He made it a point to study about others.

"Then do you think this would be a queen? I mean, these jewelry and clothing don't seem like something a commoner would have." Gudao noted as he stared at the girl. "If that's the case, we should probably get her to the pyramids. Making a friend wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"That's if they don't just shoot us on sight."

"So the best course of action is to wake her up and talk to her." Da Vinci declared as she walked over to the girl, causing Kakashi to back off as the inventor knelt down next to the girl. Before anyone could ask her what she was doing, she immediately began slapping the unconscious girl across the face, much to everyones horror.

"Da Vinci-san!" Mashu exclaimed as she rushed over. "Why are you doing that to her?!"

"Oh don't be such a baby, Mashu. Tis just a love tap." Da Vinci assured her as she continued to slap the girl across the face, only earning soft snoring in response. "Come on... Wake up..."

Mashu had a panicked look on her face as she continued to watch the inventor smack the crap out of the woman. If she really was someone of royalty, nothing good could possibly come out of this violent wake up call!

"Shouldn't we help her?" Kakashi asked Scathach as she joined him in staring at the scene.

"Are you kidding?" Scathach replied with an amused look on her face. Kakashi just sighed and returned back to his orange book, pulling it out once again while Da Vinci continued to hammer away.

Finally after slap number forty, the woman began to stir. Slowly opening her eyes, the woman groaned as she felt the familiar coarseness of sand on her back, before her eyes suddenly turned from drowsy to surprise when she noticed that she was in the presence of complete... strangers.

"W-what?!" She screamed, suddenly very wide awake and alert. Jumping backwards, she summoned some kind of staff in her hand and pointed it towards the group. "Explain yourself! Why is it that you are here?! Speak quickly before I drag you all down into the underworld."

The servants gave each other looks while Gudao stepped up to try and placate the woman.

"We are sorry for waking you, miss. But we just saved you from some Hassans who were attempting to kidnap you from... wherever you're from." Gudao spoke carefully, knowing that he was walking on a very fine line.

"Yeah!" Gabby nodded her head in agreement. "Like, you were just in a body bag a couple minutes ago! If it wasn't for us, you would have been broken down by a bunch of knife wielding nut jobs!"

Actually, Hassans were pretty civilized people when you talked to them face to face. She just found that blowing things out of proportions in certain situations and making it seem more heroic is usually the best way to go when talking to nobles. They take up everything like a robber in a bank.

And for a second, it seemed like the woman believed their story before her eyes suddenly settled on Arturia and Mordred. Within an instant, her power flared up once again.

"Lies! You dare try to trick me?! The knights of the Holy city are among you!" She suddenly then turned a finger towards Kakashi and Jiraiya. "And you two bear the similar headband of the executioner! What are you, reserve forces for the lion king? Do you think you can just walk in here without consequences?!"

She stamped her foot like a child, earning confused looks from the servants as they tried to figure out what she meant.

"Headbands? Another shinobi?" Kakashi whispered to Jiraiya who shrugged.

"Most likely. Can't think of anything else."

"Get behind us!" Emiya exclaimed as he drew his swords and stood in front of the masters with a few other servants, creating a wall separating them from the pissed off servant in front of them.

"Enough of this! I shall wipe all of you out of existence!" The servant roared, causing the sandstorm to suddenly funnel around at a faster pace in response to her anger.

"Prepare yourself, villains! For you face the wrath of a Pharaoh! One who stands amongst the gods! I am Nitocris, the last Pharaoh of the sixth dynasty!"

* * *

"You'll be meeting up with others from Chaldea, will you not?" Holmes inquired as they neared the exit. Sasori had done a pretty good job of leading the back, following the wire he had left before coming in.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I can find them." Naruto answered, though he was slightly dreading the long walk he was going to be doing. In this state, it was going to be way harder than what he was used to.

"Then let me give you one last piece of advice that will surely help you in your impending future." Sherlock said as he leaned in closer. "The one responsible for this anomaly isn't the King of Magic like Chaldea is used to. The real culprit is that of the lion king, the king who lies in the diamond city."

"Lion king?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like something from Thunder Cats. I can't recall anyone with that title in history either. Who exactly is that?"

"Now that's something you'll need to find out for yourself." Sherlock said with a smirk at Naruto's annoyed expression. "I don't believe you have to wait long, though. I believe our redheaded guide will have something to tell you about it when we leave. For now, I'll tell you some information not directly involved with the king of magic."

He swept his hand around. "This singularity we're in? It's a unique one. Like I said, unlike the others, the king of magic did not directly cause it. Everything was created because of another culprit, AKA the Lion King, using the use of a powerful artifact."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't make any sense. Where would this so-called Lion King have gotten the ability to do something like this? A holy grail?"

"No. Something else. This singularity no longer exists in any time at all. It's now isolated from the rest of the world, planted in an area only known as 'The World's End'. You head outside the decaying borders and you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere that extends for infinity."

"The World's End?" Naruto frowned, having felt like he had heard that term long ago. "An area outside of time... Isolated from the rest of the world... a pocket dimension of some sort?"

"Exactly like that." Sherlock nodded in satisfaction. "The end of the world, not accessible to humanity. Nothing lives there, and nothing possibly could. It's up to you to uncover for yourself as to why this is happening."

"Because it's not like you could just give me the answers, right?" Naruto grumbled. "Honestly, all you smart people seem to do is make things harder for us regular people."

"Well you can hardly consider yourself regular or a human being, yes?" Sherlock shrugged, not at all bothered by Naruto's jab. "You'll find the answers you seek soon enough. The only way to stop this time from disappearing is to stop the Lion King."

Naruto would have replied with another sarcastic quip, but he squinted as he found himself breaking through the temple steps and out into the desert with Sasori nearby, casually rolling up the wire from the inside. The sandstorm had lessened considerably, but it was still going fierce. He'd be surprised if anyone managed to find this place.

"I must go now. Time is short, and I fear that I'll be late to my next meeting." Sherlock said as he glanced at a small pocket watch he held in his hand. "Well, don't fret. We shall meet again in a city in a much different time. Until then, watch what you say to the doctor. Not everything is as it seems."

Naruto simply watched silently, not saying a goodbye of his own as the man swiftly turned around and began walking away into the sandstorm and disappearing out of view.

"He's gone." Sasori stated the obvious as he finished rolling up the wire. "We're alone now, just the two of us. Therefore, we can get down to business."

"As long as I get an explanation for all this." Naruto said as he turned to him with narrowed eyes. "I sense no intent to harm me, Sasori. However, I still do not trust you. If I even consider the fact that you're going to pull something, I'll kill you and leave without a second thought."

Sasori just gave him a blank look. "Naruto Uzumaki... You defeated the Akatsuki long ago, taking down our leader after a struggle in the Hidden Leaf. Afterwards, you obtained the title as the seventh Hokage along with the title of a 'god of shinobi' alongside Sasuke Uchiha. An impressive list of feats. Certainly more than what any other Shinobi in history has ever done. But do not misunderstand... Those things mean nothing to me. You could be the most powerful person in the world and I still wouldn't bat an eye to you."

"And yet here you are, right in front of me."

"I wouldn't have been here if I wasn't ordered to." Sasori scoffed as he turned away. "So just make my job easier and come along quietly. An... old friend is waiting for you in the mountains. If you don't come with me, everyone there will treat you as an enemy on sight and try to kill you."

"I'd be fine." Naruto argued. "My power alone is enough to insure survival."

"Don't make me laugh. It's obvious you're limiting your power right now through those seals." Sasori snorted, pointing to Naruto's arm which was visible under his shortened sleeve to reveal the seal. "Right now, you're at the level of a high-tier servant. But even you can't hold out for long against the forces in this world for long." He turned away. "Or you could, if you just released your seals without restraint. But then you doom the singularity with you, killing everyone here. Would you really want that?"

Naruto grit his teeth, but said nothing. Deep down, he knew that his loyalties to those he cared for was his only weakness and it seems like Sasori knew that as well.

So there was nothing he could do... for now.

"Where would you like me to go?" Naruto said lowly, earning a small triumphant smile.

"Follow me... And stay close. You take a wrong turn and you'll run directly into some... dangerous territory." Sasori warned as he turned and began walking off without waiting for Naruto to respond. Sighing to himself, he just followed after the man as he led him to who knows where.

But his interest was piqued. An old friend wanted to see him?

Then he'd best be sure not to keep them waiting.

* * *

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but reinforcements are coming." Kakashi announced as several dark shapes became visible. Upon closer examination, the groups dread rose as they discerned the reinforcements as an entire horde of sphinxes that were bounding and leaping towards them at high speeds.

"You stand in the desert of the great sun king. The expanding desert is his domain, and none may enter without his knowledge or consent. The fact that you managed to go this long without dying is surprising." Nitocris admitted begrudgingly. "However, there is no chance for escape. These sphinxes can travel faster than a cheetah and for a much longer period of time. You can't hope to outrun them in the desert."

"She's right." Robin said he reached a nervous hand into his pocket. "These things seem to have the ability to see in the sandstorm. I could try to release my noble phantasm and cover the area with poison, but I doubt it will slow them down enough for us to escape."

"Then it can't be helped... we need to have one of you release your noble phantasm. Negotiations don't seem like they're getting anywhere with her." Gudao said with a grim look.

"I'll do it!" Da Vinci exclaimed as she pulled out a pair of glasses. "I've always wanted to use it, but Roman always kept me hold up in Chaldea and I know he'd be mad if I tried to release it anywhere."

"What?" The servants whispered, glancing at each other curiously at her words. If they thought about it, this was the first time that the inventor had ever been seen doing combat. She'd usually come to watch the occasional spar, but she would never let herself get dragged into one of their shenanigans and mostly just stayed within the leyshifting chamber.

So... what Noble Phantasm could she possibly be using?

Apparently Nitocris wasn't willing to find out.

"You will not! By the power of Anubis, I will drag you down to the underworld!" Nitocris declared as she raised her staff and began to chant in ancient egyptian.

"She's going to release her own noble phantasm!" Gabby exclaimed as she saw numerous words of power begin to surround the Pharaoh. "This is bad! If those two attacks collid-"

Suddenly, Nitocris let out a surprised yelp as her chanting stopped. In the distance, the Sphinxes had stopped in their tracks and looked like they were teetering on nervousness as they watched them.

"W-what is this?! Unhand me at once!"

Jeanne gasped. "Everyone, look!"

Following her gaze, they found that Nitocris was struggling fiercely, her staff lying in the sand a few feet away from her. What surprised them most, however, was the man that stood behind the pharaoh with his hands having subdued her. The man wore a black cloak with red clouds, and a straw hat that covered most of his head which prevented most of the servants from recognizing him.

Key word: Most.

"No way..." Jiraiya muttered, having already recognized him.

"It seems like fate that all of us would be gathered again." Kakashi muttered as he recognized the tear-trough lines underneath the man's onyx eyes.

To the world, he was a killer, a betrayer, and among the greatest criminals history has ever known. A man who killed his own family for no apparent reason and left without a word. A man who associated himself with a terrorist organization before finally being brought to justice by his own brother.

He knew better, though. To him, the man was a hero, a wise man, and a good person in a world full of killers. He was a hero in the hearts of the few, and a villain in the hearts of many.

He sacrificed everything for the sake of the village. His family, his loved ones, and his future. People who truly knew him would have called him a 'hero of justice' who gave up everything without expecting anything.

He was Itachi Uchiha, the Clan Killer.

"You may control the spirits of the dead, Ancient Pharaoh. My eyes however... see it clearly." Itachi spoke, his eyes slowly spiraling into the familiar shape of the sharingan.

* * *

 **Gasp! So Itachi finally makes his appearance known!**

 **Now, if you are able to piece it together, Itachi doesn't exactly go down in history as a good guy. Only a few select people truly know why Itachi went through and killed his entire clan. Unfortunately, it isn't enough for him to be recognized as a hero because, like he said, he didn't want the Uchiha's sacrifice to be in vain and jeopardize everything.**

 **So you could say that he's comparable to a certain 'hero of justice' who sacrificed his own well being for the salvation of others, giving up his future and happiness in the process.**

 **I'll come up with a stat sheet for both Itachi and Sasori later and add it with the next chapter. Christmas break has started, and I should have plenty of time to pump out a few chapters.**

 **With that said, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	30. Mountains and stat sheets (Chaldea)

"Your base is in the mountains?" Naruto asked as he followed Sasori through the winding nooks and crevices, taking careful note to memorize the layout of the area.

"Yes." Sasori said simply as he jumped over a ledge. "The entire area is one big maze. Not many can find it, and running into it through luck is extremely low. It's better that way, for everyone."

"Everyone?" Naruto echoed curiously.

"I told you, mountain folk live here." Sasori said with a sigh. He hated repeating himself. "The world outside of these mountains have very few havens for anyone. Both sides are in enemy territory, and neither of them are very willing to take prisoners."

"So you're saying that you've been protecting these people?"

"For a while. A few months perhaps?" Sasori trailed off before shaking his head. "This world has gone to hell. We're loosing more villages everyday as the Lion king's soldiers hunt them down. Soon, the mountain folk will be eradicated in one of their 'Holy Purges'."

"And that's one thing I'm going to need an explanation on." Naruto said with narrowed eyes. "This Holy City you speak of... What is their ultimate goal?"

"Salvation for the worthy." Sasori said blandly, the sentence leaving a bland taste in his mouth. "That's what they claim. The city was created as a way to protect those inside it against the collapsing singularity. A foolish notion. Even if they survive, there won't be anything left to salvage. Something that goes on forever without purpose is useless."

"Really? Isn't that what you do?"

Sasori turned and gave him an annoyed look. "Fool. I create art that can be recognized and respected by everyone. A puppet holds artistic value that can be appreciated and admired and withstand the test of time. It's like creating a human, except you can make as many as you want. Quantity over quality, quality over quantity, you can do whatever and still make art. That is the purpose behind my creations."

"You mean murder? Creating puppets out of corpses?" Naruto reiterated with a frown. "I don't know much about you, but Sakura did. You had an obsession with finding the perfect body. A body that would never age and never rot under the test of time. You were so obsessed with it that you shed your human body for one made of wood and metal, forsaking your humanity for immortality." He narrowed his eyes. "Do you still cling to such a wish?"

Sasori was silent for a moment. "Yes... but I have already achieved it." He flexed his arms. "Quite an intriguing body. One created of magic, formed by my legend... It means people know of me or my creations when I had passed. Just like that brat told me many ages ago."

"You mean Kankuro?" Sasori gave him a slightly surprised look. "He told me about you in passing detail after the war. Told me he managed to knock some sense into you about your dream, how your creations will be how people remember you by."

"And what happened to my creations?" Sasori asked with a curious look.

"Museums and excavation sites managed to dig some of your leftovers up. Most of them were intact, but a few of them are missing a few parts." Naruto shrugged. "You know they have an entire museum dedicated to your work? Lots of speculation about the place, but they did get a few of the details right. Your legacy lived on, even after you died."

"Is that so?" Sasori muttered, obviously lost in thought. The man wasn't very expressive with his emotions, making it really hard for Naruto to understand what was going on in his head. He was no longer a puppet of wood, but a puppet of flesh and magic. It would take a while before he even broke out of his... shell.

"Let's just continue on. How much longer until we get there? We've been walking for like, two hours now." Naruto said as he looked around. "Everything looks the same in this place..."

"We'll be there in a moment. It's just over this ledge." Sasori said, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "Good thing too. I need some time to work on my puppets. Behave yourself when you get there, or you're just going to give me a headache."

Naruto just said nothing and followed after the man as they began hopping up the mountain, kicking themselves upwards with agility that not many could pull off without chakra.

He didn't know what to expect, honestly. He had visited some villages in the mountains, but those were in Asia. This place was obviously not that close to his place of origin. Mountains like these weren't found in Suna, and mostly in lightning country or the land of Iron.

So to say that he was surprised was an understatement. Below them in the crevices, tucked safely between the mountains, was what looked to be like a small village. Not as big as a city, but certainly bigger than what anyone would expect living in a place as cut off from civilization like this.

Middle Eastern. That's what this place reminded him of. He had been to the middle east on several occasions, mostly to take care of some kind of threat like djin and the rare dead apostle that would feed off of the leylines for a quick power boost.

The people below were mostly wearing turbans and shawls as they went about their daily business. Several of them carried weapons and would be walking around the perimeter of the village, most likely as the guards and scouts for any external threat.

"A village? So this is what you meant about mountain men!" Naruto exclaimed as he casted an incredulous look at Sasori. "Your base of operations is in this village? With all of these people?"

"Do not think of us as inconsiderate." Sasori scoffed. "They need protection. If they were found out, they would be slaughtered. They let us stay here in exchange for protection from outsiders and external threats."

"And how many servants are there?"

"There are more villages than this scattered across the mountain range. Each of them has one hassan from separate generations as their guardian and leader. Now though, most of them have fallen. This place is nearly all that's left." Sasori explained as he began descending. "Now hurry up. I don't like to keep people waiting."

Naruto grumbled under his breath about impatient youngsters before following after him. As they descended, their arrival was greeted with happy smiles towards Sasori and small whispers of curiosity towards Naruto. He noted that most of them held quite a bit of respect and love for the puppeteer. Either he didn't talk much about his past, or he was really good at keeping the place safe.

"Hey! Sasori my man!"

Sasori's face suddenly turned into a scowl as he turned to find a familiar blonde teen with a similar black and red cloak along with a stupid grinning smile on his face. On his hands were stitching that weaved across his palm sideways, giving people the impression that he had some kind of wound there.

"Don't call me that."

"Psh. Whatever. So did you get the package?" The teen asked.

Sasori rolled his eyes and pointed towards Naruto, who looked like he was trying hard to remember the blonde teenager who had just made himself known. Blonde hair... Akatsuki... Stitches across his hands...

Naruto's eyes widened. Now he remembered. Sasori's partner, the explosive style user who was from the hidden stone village. An obsession with explosion and clay figures...

"Deidara?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. This was crazy. Sasori had been a shocker all by himself, but Deidara? Two of the most psychopathic criminals in history were here in the same village?! Whoever was doing this was utterly tempting fate. Nobody would be stopping them from destroying everything and taking off for another village.

"That's my name, hn." The famous explosive terrorist nodded. "And you're the kid who foiled the Akatsuki's plans. Normally I'd have been compelled to attack you on sight, but the situation has changed, hn."

"Why would anyone want to summon the two of you? Together, no less?"

Deidara raised his hands in a placating manner. "It was a complete accident, hn. Go talk to your friend about it. Neither of us wanted to be summoned in the first place, hn. We're only here because the boss told us to keep everyone together in preparation for the lion king, hn."

"And you haven't blown anything up?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Only those who aren't innocent, hn." Deidara shrugged. "Strict orders from your friend to protect the villages from the Lion King and Sun King. You go outside the boundaries and you'll find a bunch of craters. The soldiers can't get through my personalized mine field, hn."

"You keep telling me about my friend, yet you haven't told me his name. Stop beating around the bush and tell me who he is already!" Naruto ordered, his tone starting to show signs of loosing patience. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and he hated not knowing about things. Withholding information from him is something you didn't do.

When it looked like his patience was about to run out, a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Deidara, Sasori, I'll take it from here. Thank you."

Sasori simply nodded and Deidara just shrugged while Naruto's eyes widened in recognition at the voice. Turning around, he found himself looking at, truly, an old friend of his.

His red hair was rough and coarse, like the sand in the desert. His vibrant green eyes seemed lazy, but also very analytical. He wore a long crimson coat and dark trousers with a grey flak jacket over it tied by dark belt. Over his back was a huge gourd made of sand, which he easily carried over his back despite the objects size.

The small grains of sand around his feet danced around with excitement wherever he stepped, otherwise signifying the man's power and dominance over the earth. He knew it firsthand. When it came to manipulating the earth, there was nobody better than the Kazekage.

"Gaara?" Naruto whispered, surprised at seeing his old friend of the desert

The Kazekage smiled. "Who would have thought that so many shinobi would be summoned into this day and age? It's like fate."

"Gaara... what..." Naruto stammered, obviously surprised to see him. "You're the leader?"

"De facto leader." Gaara corrected with an amused smile at Naruto's reaction. "I'd like to explain it to you, but not here. A public place isn't suitable for something like this. Follow me."

Naruto shook his head out of his shock and simply followed after Gaara as he turned around and began walking away. Unlike many of his other friends, Gaara was someone who could command his full attention when it came to serious matters. Him and Sasuke were considered smarter than him, in Shikamaru's case much to his chagrin.

It wasn't his fault that he didn't get a good education when he was young, damn it!

* * *

In the desert far outside of the outskirts of the mountain, nobody moved as they eyed Itachi's practically iron grip around the female Pharaoh as she tried to struggle and throw him off her.

"You brute! The sun king will have your head!" Nitocris spat as she tried to move towards her staff.

"You are in no condition to make demands." Itachi replied calmly, his voice scarily even despite all the attention now focused on him. In the distance, even the Sphinxes that had arrived as backup were skirting around nervously. They couldn't go through Itachi without going through their pharaoh. And if they did so, the Sun King will surely be pissed.

Everyone exchanged looks as they stood still, wondering what was going to happen now. None of them had been able to sense Itachi before he made his presence known, obviously making them question what his true intention was for saving them.

Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi with a raised eye brow before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Itachi? No mistaking it?"

"No doubt. The voice and size fits." Kakashi whispered back. "I guess he's been tracking us for a while now. Might explain why I had this tingling feeling on the back of my head."

"So what should we do?"

"Nothing. He's doing a thing right now."

Nitocris suddenly gasped for air as Itachi released his hold on her and stepped backwards. Nobody dared to move though. Just because he had let her go doesn't mean that she was in any less danger than she was a moment ago. He could gut her and leave before anyone could do anything.

Nobody said anything, but it was obvious that Itachi was the one in control.

"Now listen, Pharaoh Nitocris, avatar of Horus," Itachi began in his monotone voice. "What they claim is true. They indeed saved you from the Hassans who kidnapped you out of concern and worry. I can vouch for that on their behalf. If you choose not to believe that, I will be forced to make you believe."

Everyone tensed at the end of that sentence. Clearly his view on making people believe wasn't a peaceful solution.

"And why would you vouch for them? Are you not with the mountain folks? What's stopping you from taking me?" Nitorcis questioned, but her words held less bark than last time.

"I'm not in charge of what all the Hassans do. They're fighting to survive, something you know very little about."

"And what about their symbols? They bear the mark of the lion kin-"

"But they are not affiliated. The gifts of the lion king are not present. If you yourself are so worried, let the sun king himself decide with his own eyes." When she remained silent, he continued on. "They will be in your territory and have eyes on them at all time. You yourself preach about the strength of the Pharaoh, yet you worry about his safety? Foolish. If he is as strong as you say, there shall be no opposition. None of them even have a reason to capture you if they were working for the lion king. Death is their only objective."

Nitocris remained silent for a moment in deep thought while everyone else looked on as they waited for what she would say. True, there were no benefits for the lion king if she were captured. The only reason the Hassans would ever thing about doing so was because they didn't have the power to go against the king directly. A hostage would have been a much more efficient and safer solution. The lion king, however, had no such problems thanks to military strength.

And she had to admit, Sir Mordred certainly wasn't acting like she had the last time she was cornered. The gifts of the Lion King, given to her most powerful knights, weren't present at the moment. She also seemed more rational and less aggressive, as she wasn't blasting her noble phantasm everywhere.

"Awawawa... Lord Ozymandias isn't going to be pleased... He's probably wondering where I am right now... How am I supposed to explain this to him?" The pharaoh thought as she stared at the sand, a visible cloud of gloom hanging overhead.

"She's certainly odd." Everyone thought as they stared at her moping. After they watched her mope for several more seconds, she stood up once again and gave a sigh as she turned towards the group with a slightly flustered look.

"I-I am thankful for your generous save, travelers. My anger seems to have been... misplaced." Nitocris spoke slowly, having the decency to look a little bit embarrassed. "As such, I shall treat you like guests until I've taken you to the lord of this land and received his judgement. If he gives you his blessing, we shall treat you until you are ready to leave. If not..."

"We understand." Gudao spoke, giving a small nod of understanding. "We shall follow without complaint. Please lead the way."

"He's really good at this." Jiraiya muttered.

"He had quite a bit of practice before." Robin explained as he picked at his crossbow, the image of a golden haired king popping into his mind.

"Then I shall lead. Please stay close and try not to deviate from me. There are quite a few sinkholes around here." Nitocris raised her staff and tapped on the ground. At the command, the sandstorm seemed to part around them as a small bubble field materialized. She then turned towards Itachi, who has remained silent up until now. "And what about you? Do you intend to leave back to the mountains?"

"I have been ordered to receive this group under orders of my leader." Itachi answered honestly, earning surprised looks from the group and narrowed eyes from Nitocris. "Thus, I will go with them."

"And what makes you think the Sun King will let you?" Nitocris questioned.

"The fact that I could kill you and walk away might be a good starting point." Itachi replied, narrowing his eyes. "I do not intend to cause trouble with your faction. You may have made an enemy of the mountain folk, but your current adversary right now is the lion king. Killing you wouldn't stop them from trampling over the mountains to attack."

It was a simple strategic advantage. The fact that the lion king hasn't approached the mountains too recklessly was because they didn't want to start an all out war right now. They were mustering their forces so that they could ensure a total victory. Despite the fact they were quite... advanced, the Pharaoh had a mystical object that could tip the sides into his favor if he used it correctly. That was a danger the lion king wasn't willing to risk.

"Fair enough." Nitocris scoffed as she turned and began marching off. "Then follow me, I shall show you the way."

As they began following after her, Kakashi spared a small glance towards Itachi, who simply nodded at him. The message was clear, however.

 _"We'll talk later."_

* * *

Naruto sat in a chair made of wood and goat leather as he stared across the table at Gaara. The kazekage had led him to a nearby hut which was situated atop one of the best vantage points in the entire area. From the looks of it, it was the central command post for military purposes. There were maps drawn out across the entirety of the singularity with red markings over key areas hanging around the wall, and even a portable Shinobi radio beacon sitting in the corner for communication.

"It is quite comforting to see you, old friend." Gaara said with an amused chuckle, though his dry voice made it sound very raspy. "We had a vision that you would come along with the group known as Chaldea. Strange that it was Sasori who would be the first one to find you. I had asked him to investigate those ruins on the account that he destroy any evidence he encountered that could be used against us."

"Well then it's a good thing I made it there before he could do that." Naruto chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "And It's strange to see you here too. I was told this place was Jerusalem, so what's with your appearance?"

Gaara hummed. "A complete accident you could say. A long time ago, there were two opposing forces that fought over the Holy Grail that was in this era. One of them was the Crusaders, and the other was the lion King."

"The one in the giant city of diamond, right?"

"Correct. The two fought a war to obtain the Holy Grail and the Crusaders were doing well. They had summoned Richard the Lionheart as their leading commander and was monstrously strong by himself. He was... defeated when several servants ganged up on him and forced him to defeat with the death of one of their own."

"Which servants?" Naruto asked, his interest piqued.

Gaara paused. "I'll tell you after this. When the Crusaders had their backs against the wall, they attempted to summon another servant to replenish their forces. As such, the throne of heroes pulled me, Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, and Zabuza into this world along with the sun king. I believe it was because of the geographical region they were in at the time. Me, Deidara, and Sasori were summoned in the desert. Zabuza was summoned near an oasis, and Itachi just... tagged along I guess."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Itachi and Zabuza? This is turning into a one big reunion..." He muttered. "Tell me, where are they now?"

"Itachi is fine. He has informed me that he has made contact with the group from Chaldea. Zabuza, on the other hand..." He trailed off, earning a concerned look from Naruto.

"On the other hand?"

"He was kidnapped." Gaara revealed, earning a shocked look from Naruto. "A few minutes after we were all summoned, the sun king began to attack the Crusaders and take the grail for himself. As the fight drew on, the Lion King's forces began to assault the area to take advantage of the Crusader's weakened state. Zabuza stayed behind to help give us enough time to evacuate the area of nearby civilians, but even he couldn't hold out against the large number of enemies. Last we seen of him was after he fell, being dragged away by the soldiers towards the city."

Naruto closed his eyes, not pleased with what he heard. "And you? What are you doing now?"

"Preparing for war." Gaara said simply as he stood up and pointed to several places on the map with a red 'X'. "As you can understand, having two kings in such close proximity is understandably causing conflict. It's not helping that the Lion King is already ushering in soldiers everywhere."

"And those spots on the map?"

"Former villages. They're gone now." Gaara said with a bitter tone. "The Lion King is... barbaric, even by shinobi standards. A few months ago, soldiers began heading over to these villages and doing what they called a 'holy cleansing'. They would go through the villages and bring people that were 'worthy' with them to the castle. Everyone else-"

"-Were killed." Naruto finished, a low growl forming in his throat. "Madness. For what goal does this so-called king attempt to enact with these... monstrous acts?"

"Selection of the fittest." Gaara said. "The Lion King is only interested in finding those that are the most useful for humanity and giving them sanction into the city. The city itself is, as stated by one of the Servants under the King's command, a shelter designed to protect the last of humanity from the collapsing singularity. The Lion King tends to save only the bare necessities before the singularity eventually disappears."

"Saving the bare essentials..." Naruto muttered as he drummed his fingers on the table. "The King tends to save humanity by putting everyone in a container? Foolish! It doesn't matter how many survive, there will be nothing for them when the dust settles. Death would be a better relief."

"Indeed. Such notions are the acts of a tyrant." Gaara nodded in agreement. "Which is why we have worked on mustering more power. Even with you guys here, the Lion King has already built up an incredible amount of power. The castle is sitting on top of the richest leyline in the entire area that's powering their defenses. Coming at it from above and climbing the walls will be impossible. The only way through is the front door."

"Which is basically a death trap to funnel people through." Naruto mused. "What about the Akatsuki? How did you managed to get them to follow you in the first place?"

Gaara smiled. "Itachi and Zabuza were quite accepting since I knew you personally. Sasori and Deidara, however, were a little bit of a hassle to deal with. Some incidents aren't forgotten, even if we have spent years in the throne."

"What, Deidara's still mad that you crushed his arm?"

"It's not like that. The two of them are just... not used to this." Gaara said as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Sasori hasn't tried to turn anyone into a human puppet thus far. I believe what my brother said has... dampen his spirits in that sort of thing. As for Deidara himself..." He sighed. "Very brash and confident. Always ranting about his explosions as special arts and arguing with Sasori. He was very reluctant on making me leader, saying he wouldn't take orders from an enemy. Very much like you actually."

"Very funny." Naruto scowled at the insult, earning an amused chuckle from the Kazekage.

"Anyway, he's taking orders from me now. He looks up to Sasori, even if he doesn't want to admit it out loud. As long as Sasori is okay with me, Deidara will be as well." His smile turned sad. "It's been hard for them, reintegrating themselves back into a life not associated with crime. The people are thankful to them, but I'm not sure they know what to feel about that."

"Well, you kept them together this long. I'm sure you'll get them through this." Naruto said with a reassuring smile. "Remember how hard it was for us? Change is never easy."

"Yes, very true. Changing Suna wasn't easy, after all." Gaara stood up and began heading to the door. "Come. I have to get you situated with the area. The mountains are quite confusing if you don't know the proper navigation methods the Hassans use."

"Hassans?"

"Indeed, Maelstrom of Japan. As the men of the mountains, it is only polite that you learn of our customs."

Turning around, he found himself face to face with a man in a simple ragged cloak that covered most of his body, with a skeletal mask covering his face. For some reason, the right side of the masked figure was wider than the left by an amount that made him look... odd.

He knew who he was. He was one of the servants that occupied Chaldea and was nicknamed 'The Janitor' due to his hobby for organizing space and making things clean.

He was one of the many candidates who donned the mantle of the Assassin, Hassan-i-Sabbah. The one in front of him was the one they referred to as The Cursed Arm.

"I welcome you, great hero of legend. I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but this shall have to do. It is an honor to meet a fellow assassin."

* * *

Stat Sheets:

Identity: Sasori of the Red Sand

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Class: Caster

Strength: C+

Endurance: C

Agility: B+

Mana: B

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm:D-EX

 **(Skills)**

Self-modification: A

Allows for the modification of the body. Sasori has demonstrated the ability to not just make prosthetic body parts for himself, but to rework his entire body into that of a puppet. If possible, he is capable of shedding his mystical body for that of a puppet as long as his spiritual core is intact.

Chakra of the world: B

Allows for the manipulation of Chakra.

Presence Concealment: B+

Allows for one to hide by becoming one with the world.

Territory Creation: A+

Allows for the materialization of a workshop as long as the user has the means to do so. In Sasori's case, the workshop built will increase production of puppets by 75%

Puppet master: A (EX)

The skill signifying ones status as a puppet master. Sasori himself was known as the greatest puppet master during his time and was known world wide thanks to his gruesome tactics and his affiliation with the Akatsuki. At the level of rank A, one is able to control ten puppets at a single time with one on each finger. However, if certain conditions are met, Sasori may be able to bump up the level to one hundred (EX).

Poison Resistance: A+

Due to being known for working with incredibly complex and fatal poison, Sasori has developed an immunity to it.

Armory of the Sand: A

Sasori's personal skill. He was known for not only creating his puppets, but the numerous weapons he has kept inside of them. Allows for the creation of any king of weapon as long as the materials necessary for completion are available. They can range from swords, explosives, poison, Etc. No matter what the materials are used, any weapons created by him can harm spiritual bodies like servants.

 **Noble Phantasms:**

The Ideal Body of The Puppeteer: D-A (Anti-Unit)

Sasori's monstrous acts brought to life and realized. Sasori was not only one of the greatest puppeteers, but a monster with a skill unique only to him. He was able to take the corpses of his enemies and convert them into puppets for his own collection. Unlike a normal puppet, those who are converted retain any special abilities they had in life. Using them as a medium, Sasori is able to effectively use and channel their own powers against others without any cost to his own energy. Not even servants are immune to this noble phantasm, though it might be difficult to collect an intact specimen.

Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets: EX

The pinnacle of puppet techniques that puts Sasori above all other puppet masters. While even the most skilled can only operate ten puppets at a time, Sasori is able to control up to one hundred puppets when certain conditions are met. Each puppet is of his own design, coated in poison that is fatal to both humans and servants alike. This technique was so powerful that it allowed Sasori to completely flatten an entire nation.

* * *

Identity: Deidara of the Explosion Release

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Class: Assassin

Strength: C+

Endurance: C

Agility: B+

Mana: B

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: D-EX

 **(Skills)**

Explosion Release: A+

The Kekkai Genkai that Deidara was known for and his own personal skill. Unlike other users who transmitted their explosions through kinetic strikes, Deidara uses it in conjunction with Iwagakure's Kinjutsu, which allows him to mold explosive chakra into any object he desires. He mostly uses clay, and the power and strength of the explosion depends on how much chakra he pumps into the attack.

Clairvoyance (False): B

Shows the users superior visual perception and occipital capture. Allows Deidara to see farther than other servants, even while many Kilometers away. In addition, his left eye is given a form of 'Truth' which allows him to see through illusions after extensive training to surpass Itachi's sharingan techniques. Unlike others who were born with this ability, Deidara earned his from extensive training.

Presence Concealment: B+

Allows the User to conceal their presence by becoming one with the world.

Chakra of the world: B

Allows for manipulation of Chakra.

 **Noble Phantasm:**

Art is an Explosion!: D-A (Anti-Unit)

Deidara's main form of attack. A low cost noble phantasm that requires the use of special clay that only Deidara can produce. Using his Explosion Release Skill, Deidara can mold explosive chakra into clay sculptures and prime them as miniature explosives. The force varies from the amount of chakra used; ranging from small fire crackers powerful enough to blow holes in people, to those powerful enough to level an entire fortress in an instant.

C0, The Ultimate Art That Shakes Heaven: EX (Anti-Army)

The most powerful Jutsu in Deidara's arsenal. An explosion of the highest caliber, putting the likes of the Nuclear Bomb to shame with the sheer destructive power it packs. A last resort, only used in the most dire of circumstances as it forces Deidara to sacrifice himself for the activation by forcing explosive clay into the heart on his chest, gathering all of the chakra into his heart and siphoning off that for the explosion. The blast radius is 13 kilometers, disintegrating everything within its range without mercy.

* * *

Identity: Gaara of the Desert

Alignment: Lawful Good

Class: Archer

Strength: B+

Endurance: B+

Agility: B+

Mana: A

Luck: C+

Noble Phantasm: A

 **(Skills)**

Law of the Sand: A+

A personal skill of Gaara that is unique to him. As the former Jinchuuriki of Shukaku, Gaara was given complete authority and control of the sand. While it may sound lackluster, Gaara was known to be an absolute monster when his bloodlust took control. It allows control without handseals, along with changing the density and structure of the sand to whatever form he desires. It can become harder than steel, or lighter than air for flight.

Magnet Release: A+

The Hidden Kekkai Genkai Gaara inherited from his father. Allows him to manipulate any precious stone or metal through making his chakra magnetic. He rarely uses it though, preferring to hide it as a last resort against foes who can neutralize his sand.

Presence Concealment: B+

Allows one to hide by becoming one with the world.

Charisma: B+

As the greatest Kazekage of the sand, his rank is deserved as such. Allows for one to lead a small nation.

Independent Action: B

Allows for the user to act without a master for extended period of time. In Gaara's case, he can last for three days before he has to disappear and go back to the throne.

 **(Noble Phantasm)**

Shield of Sand, Absolute Protection of The Mother: A+ (Anti-Self)

The Absolute defense of Gaara that protects him from all harm. Granted to him upon birth by his mother's will to protect him, the sand will immediately rush to Gaara's aid to protect him from all harm. Even if he is attacked from behind or without warning, the sand will react to the attack before he does and alters itself in response to the force of the act. It is his sole noble phantasm, and is thought to have been among the greatest defenses in any legend.

* * *

Identity: Itachi The Clan Killer

Alignment: Lawful Good (Distorted to Chaotic Evil due to legend.)

Class: Assassin

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Agility: B+

Mana: C+

Luck: D

Noble Phantasm: EX

 **(Skill)**

Presence Concealment: A+

Allows for the user to hide by becoming one with the world.

Clairvoyance: A

Shows the users superior visual perception and occipital capture. As a true wielder of the Sharingan and Eye of the Mind (True) small future sight is possible to be perceived.

Eye of the Mind (True): B+

Allows the user to choose the greatest option in battle and consider all possibilities. No matter how small the chances are of winning, this skill increases those chances greatly.

Mystic Eyes: EX

Itachi is in posession of the Sharingan, the dojutsu of the Uchiha clan. A powerful set of eyes that allows for the use of illusions and can slow down the users perception of time to allow time to react to an attack. Rare eyes that were sought after during his time, it is possible for him to transplant these eyes into another person.

Weak Constitution: A

A skill that is caused by being stricken with poor health during life. Throughout his adult life, Itachi has been plagued with a mysterious sickness that has constantly placed a huge amount of stress on his body. It was a major reason why Itachi lost to his brother, making the rank extremely high. This skill will take effect randomly, causing huge pains to plague his body until it goes away. It would normally also cause a rank down in all parameters, but it is cancelled out by his 'Determination of Steel' skill.

Determination of Steel: A+++

A determination of iron that is unshakable and unwavering. Itachi's will is so strong that mental interference and psychic attacks are shrugged off easily. It also prevents his stats from going down through sheer force of will, allowing him to fight for long periods of time no matter how much damage he has taken. As a secret hero who has portrayed himself worldwide as a villain, this amount of will and determination is almost frightening for those who encounter it.

 **(Noble Phantasm)**

Mangekyo Sharingan- Kaleidoscope Mirror Wheel Eye: A++

A noble phantasm that is both a blessing and a curse. It's an amalgamation of several noble phantasms into one. In his right eye, he possessed the Amaterasu, which were flames that couldn't be put out and were as hot as the sun. In his left eye was the Tsukiyome, the ultimate genjutsu that allows Itachi to torture someone for several days in the span of a few seconds. The last and ultimate attack he has is the Susanoo, a manifestation of chakra that is essentially a killing machine. It manifests as a skeleton and carries the Totsuka Blade and Yata mirror, one of which traps the target in a genjutsu of drunken dreams and the other which reflects all attacks by changing chakra natures to counter. All these abilities were thought to have been the basis for Japanese legends, revolutionizing Asian culture.

However, the noble phantasms come with a drawback. Unlike Kakashi, who doesn't suffer from blindness thanks to the chakra of the sage of six paths, Itachi isn't as lucky. Since he never earned the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, using his eyes slowly snuffs out the light in his eyes until he can no longer see. As such, the Mangekyo is used in the most dire circumstances.


	31. Lesson on life (Chaldea)

**Wow guys, time sure does fly by fast. It's been several months since I released this story and it's already Christmas time! I wanted to just take this time to tell all of you that I'm thankful for all your support in this story. As of now, it's the most popular story in my collection and I hope you all can continue to enjoy it!**

 **Lots of things have been going on as well. With christmas time almost upon us, many of us FGO players are already trying to beat the demon pillars in record time so that we can enjoy our christmas. And for those FGO players out there, keep up the good work! We're almost there!**

 **Also, I'm considering uploading another small story about Naruto and the Ninja's time in Chaldea before they went to the Camelot singularity since I didn't really go into detail about that.**

 **With that said, I hope all of you had a splendid merry christmas! I'm not sure if I am, though. Those feels for the last singularity got to me hard ;(**

* * *

"Hahaha... hahaha! Truly, I have never been this amused in my life! It almost makes this stiff neck of mine go away!" The Sun King roared with laughter from his position on his golden throne.

Nitocris had kept her promise to the letter. Nobody had attempted to attack them or put their hands on them the second they walked through the gates of the Kingdom, but everyone couldn't help but notice that most of the civilians that were loitering along casted some unusual glances in their direction. Part Anger, part confusion, it was starting to get them a little bit nervous.

Though it luckily ended when Nitocris took them directly to the 'Sun King'. Surprisingly, the man was exactly how everyone expected him to be. Dark hair complimented his olive skin as he sat comfortably on his throne. He barely wore any clothing other than golden armor from the waist down and a flowing white cape attached to his neck. He wore nothing to cover his top half, showing off his perfect physique like a total show off.

He was the Pharaoh Ozymandias, the greatest ruler of Egypt. And right now, he was supposed to be judging those who had saved his fellow Pharaoh. It was surely a gift from the gods to help relieve him of his boredom, as he could have sworn he was dying of it before they had come. Anubis had surely been coming for him.

So he introduced himself like any great Pharaoh would, making it a point to remind all of them that they were beneath him and that he would not tolerate any disrespect to his face. Watching them squirm a little bit when he said that was amusing, but he knew that he was going to have to be serious for a moment to confirm something.

So he gave them permission to talk, and he gave them the time of day to listen. The masters of Chaldea, as he dubbed them so, told him of their adventures in the past singularities of Okeanos, Orleans, and Rome. Their stories kept him busy for hours on end, invested in their tales of human order and salvation. They were such grand stories that he couldn't help but laugh.

"It amuses me that such a small group of humans had managed to accomplish such a tall order! Are you sure you're not telling me incredibly woven lies?" Ozymandias questioned, his voice echoing within the confines of his temple.

"I can assure you Sun King, everything we have said so far is the truth." Gudao said with an even tone, but enough force was put behind it to cover up weakness. "The King of Magic wishes to incinerate the human order. That is why we are here, to stop such a thing from occurring."

"And I believe you." Ozymandias nodded, earning surprised looks from everyone.

"...Really? Just like that?"

"I'm quite good at discerning lies. A Pharaoh must be a good judge after all, for every problem must go through him." He shifted on his throne, adjusting his position to a more comfortable one. The stupid pain in his neck was coming back again. "You seek the grail, don't you? To fix this singularity you require the magical cup!"

This truly was turning out better than he expected. On any other day, he would have sent out his sphinxes and scouts to destroy them for being in his territory. It was probably a good thing he forgot about Nitocris thanks to that stupid wound on his neck, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten such a privy form of entertainment. Dancers and concubines don't do much these days, and Nitocris trying to act mighty and failing is starting to get stale.

Speaking of which...

"Grail? Anomaly?" Nitocris blinked in curiosity as she looked upwards towards him for answers. Upon meeting his eyes, she immediately looked down in embarrassment. None who were lower may look upon the pharaoh without his permission.

"It is my failings to not have properly informed you of the circumstances, Nitocris. I shall remedy this as soon as we take care of our... esteemed guests properly."

"I shall accept whatever form of puni-"

"Worry not, that will not be necessary for bringing me such a surprising form of entertainment. If you do wish to seek to better yourself, go put your hand in a jar and give it to me."

"Right away." Nitocris bowed without hesitation, earning surprised looks from everyone. She agreed to something like that so easily?!

Ozymandias just simply looked amused and casually observed Chaldea's summoned servants, taking an interest in the two knights who bore the Lion King's symbol. It was certainly a very surprising moment, one that will surely lead to an equally amusing situation. He recognized the red knight as Mordred, one of the knights of the round table. The other, however, he did not recognize. Clearly a female, but he could not recall how many females had been on the Round Table.

"Yes... Certainly interesting. Nitocris, have the servants quickly make preparations for a banquet! We must show our guests how the people of the sand treat their guests, lest we dishonor ourselves! A small portion of the local surplus should suffice for a grand meal."

"O-of course your divine majesty!"

* * *

Soon, everyone was having idle chatter and relaxing at the seat of a golden table with numerous exotic food spread across on plates of gold. Any time the food would vanish from the table, servants of fire would immediately bring more from some unknown place to their hearts content. Most of them enjoyed themselves, with Kakashi and Jiraiya telling jokes and Oda laughing alongside them. Robin was currently tapped out, sleeping in his chair after having his fill.

Arturia was the one who was enjoying herself the most, inhaling food faster than what it should have been possible. It was like her stomach was a blackhole or a space to another dimension. Jeanne was chastising Arturia about table manners while Emiya just shook his head in amusement and continued picking at his food as he wondered if he could ask for the recipe. Medea and Medusa were talking amongst themselves as fellow greeks and women, probably not about anything relevant to the singularity.

Itachi himself was the only one who wasn't socializing or eating food. He simply sat at the far end of the table and watched silently. Although the servants wouldn't admit it out loud, they weren't comfortable around him. The only ones who did seem to be perfectly fine with him were Kakashi and Jiraiya, who seemed to treat him like an old friend.

Odd.

At the center of the table were Da Vinci and Scathach as they discussed about the data that they had managed to gather through Da Vinci's devices that she had been using to determine what time period they were supposed to be in right now. Cause obviously, this isn't Jerusalem.

"We're definitely in the 13th century, so we can cross off the fact that Roman's jump didn't send us anywhere else." Da Vinci said as she spoke through a mouthful of a green apple. "However, the data from my staff isn't wrong either. While we walked, it collected samples of sand from the desert and analyzed them. Studies shows that this is Egyptian sand from around B.C time. Nitocris wasn't lying on that part. What I don't understand is how Ozymandias had managed to transport an entire region is beyond me."

"So the cause of this singularity isn't in the Holy Land, but the desert?" Mashu asked curiously as she threw a piece of meat to Fou, who happily gobbled up the scraps. If that's the case, it's something she can peg Roman for later.

"Hm... I cannot be so sure of that. This Egypt just so happens to be very... foreign. I can detect several distortions around the singularity, including the place where Jerusalem was supposed to have been."

"And we can't contact Roman for assistance until we reach a safe spot away from those distortions..." Gabby muttered with a sigh. "The doctor must be worried sick about us."

"As long as things go smoothly, we should be fine." Scathach said as she leaned back in her chair. "Once we get out of the desert, it should be much safer. We have to watch out for the Hassans though, and I don't necessarily trust... him." She slightly cocked her head towards Itachi, who had his eyes closed as he sat motionlessly.

"Yeah, I get you. It's odd how Kakashi and Jiraiya seem to be pretty calm around someone like him." Gabby whispered, not wanting to let the dark shinobi hear them. If Roman was here, he would already be panicking and quickly giving everyone the simple advice of 'kill him before he does anything'. The doctor was always kind of overprotective that way.

It was very rare that she would get this nervous around a servant. Especially one who was responsible for saving them no less. If she remembered her history correctly, Itachi was a criminal and terrorist. That's pretty much about it. No text in any books explain why he murdered his entire clan and joined up with a terrorist organization. Most people who were villains at least had a motive that justified their actions slightly, but she couldn't find anything on Itachi.

Admittedly, she found it quite scary. This wasn't a man who held a morale compass like Kakashi or Jiraiya. He was just some unknown killer. A monster among men that represented the dark sides of humanity.

She was suddenly brought out of her worrisome thoughts as laughter could be heard from the end of the table where Ozymandias and Gudao were sitting. If there was anyone she had to thank for getting through to this king, it would be Gilgamesh. The Pharaoh was basically just a scaled down version of the king and was much easier to talk to without having to worry about being stabbed by swords or hit by clubs. As long as you appealed to his personality, it was easy to keep him contained.

But everyone couldn't help but feel like this entire thing was suspicious. Hospitality such as this was nice, but it was a rule around Chaldea to not look at people like Ozymandias in the mouth too much. No doubt there was some kind of other side to this.

"As much as I would love for you to regale me in your past exploits, I shall move on to the important reason as to why you are here. Since you have pleased me greatly _and_ have done me a personal favor of rescuing Nitocris, I shall give you a favor of my choosing." He leaned back on his throne and readjusted his head back onto his neck. After the third time, no one was really willing to question it. "I have made up my mind. I shall answer the questions that you seek. Be grateful, for it is rare that I give a blessing to an outsider."

"Most gracious of you, Sun King." Gudao said with a smile.

"It is only natural." Ozymandias said with a small chuckle as he reached into a small compartment near his armrest. The man rummaged around within for a few seconds before pulling out an object nobody had been expecting.

Everyone gasped as he pulled out a familiar golden cup of unquestionable design, brandishing it out in front of him with an amused smirk as he saw everyones eyes drawn towards it like a beacon. "Yes... This cup. This is what you seek correct, masters of Chaldea?"

"You have a grail?!" Gabby exclaimed in shock. Everyone glanced at each other as they tried to comprehend their luck. Usually it would take several days or weeks for them to find the grail. Now, it shows itself only after a few days of walking. Truly, some kind of blessed luck!

"Indeed. It is a treasure fitting only for someone like me." Ozymandias boasted proudly as he placed the cup on his armrest. "From your faces, you wish to know where and how I acquired the Grail it seems. Very well. I shall tell you. A long time ago, I liberated the grail from the clutches of the Crusaders shortly after I was summoned into this world, but someone as powerful and incredible as I am does not require any need of it. It _does_ make my wine taste a little bit more bitter when I use it, however."

Robin seemed to find amusement in that statement as he let out a quiet chuckle. The thought of using one of humanities treasures as a drinking goblet never really occurred to him at all. Perhaps he should try that when he got back to Chaldea. They did have a lot of those spare ones lying around somewhere in the vault if he recalled.

"I shall be honest with you. I had thought that you would have perished by the fourth singularity, but it seems you posses the will and desire to prove me wrong. The tenacity and drive you possess are above commendable." His proud smile suddenly turned into a frown. "But you are far too late! This singularity is far, far more different and more dangerous than the last singularities you have faced. The human order of this age has long since collapsed since the eradication of the Crusaders!"

"Um..." Everyone turned to face Mashu as she tentatively raised her hand. "What do you mean by that, Sun King?"

"I mean exactly what I said! There should have been a battle over the Holy Land. One side besieging and one side defending! Total war between two irreconcilable factions! At the end of the war, one side should have the Holy Grail and the Holy Lands would become a breeding ground for the demon pillars, for nothing nourishes a demon more than religious land... If you had arrived sooner that is."

"But that's not the case, is it?" Da Vinci spoke up, ignoring the glare Nitocris threw her was for speaking out of turn. "The war to reclaim the land never happened, right? You were likely summoned under someone from the Crusader side and began opposing them like it was the most natural thing to do, conquering the land for yourself and seizing the grail. Was it your doing, summoning this desert and causing the human order of this era to collapse?"

Ozymandias gave a raised eyebrow before turning to Gudao. "Might I ask, who is she? She's quite knowledgeable."

"That's Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Oh, I've heard that name. One of the brightest in all of human history, or some such." The Pharaoh mused. "I see... It's as they say; Genius and Idiosyncrasy are two sides of the same coin!"

"No, no. Compared to the Sun King, I'm juuuusst a bit more intelligent~!" Da Vinci chirped, continuing to ignore the hole piercing glare Nitocris was giving her.

"How bold, inferring that I lied about the use of the Grail." Ozymandias chastised, but he still seemed to be less angry and more amused. "But unfortunately, you are wrong. I am simply the owner of this grail, not the user. I have no need or want for the Holy Lands! And thus, listen carefully..."

Dramatic tension filled the room as the Sun King leaned forward in his seat. "The one who made this an exceptional singularity, the one who burned human history and is seated in the ruins of the Holy City you sought! It is the Lion King... Yes! The Lion King of Immaculate White!"

"...The Lion King?" Everyone looked at each other, expecting someone to at least know that moniker. Unfortunately, the only thing anyone received were confused looks and shrugs.

"You seem confused about their identity... I admit that I do know about the Lion King's features and identity..." Ozymandias smirked as he leaned back in his chair as an idea occurred to him. "But I shall no tell you. I believe I have revealed more than enough."

Da Vinci frowned. "You will not spare us the Lion King's identity?"

"Do not misunderstand, we are not allies. In the future, we may find ourselves fighting each other for control over the Holy Grail, but you are my esteemed guests as of now. Guests that still must see for themselves the true nature of this world." He proclaimed with a tone that clearly that there was no room for argument. Soon, however, his regular smile returned. "We of the sand are not unjustly cruel, though. To not give you our hospitality would be a great dishonor. Killing you after aiding us even more so. An alliance or parlay between us, however, is out of the question."

He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "As you all currently are now... Never mind. I shall speak no further. You must find out for yourselves. Like I said, even if you figure all of this out, I have low expectations that you will survive this singularity."

That seemed to get on most of the servant's nerves, specifically those of Medea and Mordred as their knuckles clenched in anger as they hated being talked down upon. Especially by arrogant men like Ozymandias. Robin and Medusa weren't as expressive, but you could still feel their shift in moods. They themselves didn't like rich kingly folk in the fist place. Everyone else remained silent with blank expressions, not willing to voice complaints as it will surely fall on deaf ears.

"But then again... you already have someone to guide you." Ozymandias said, his tone... different as he turned his attention on Itachi. "How is your arm by the way? I could have sworn that I burnt it off."

There was silence for a moment as Itachi opened his eyes, revealing nothing in their reflections as he stared at the king.

"I'm just fine. How's your spine?"

Before anyone could blink, a beam of light shot out from Ozymandias' staff, piercing Itachi from where he sat and sending him and the seat toppling to the ground. Everyone quickly stood up and drew their weapons in preparation to fight if the king decided to tur-

"Tch. I should have known if wouldn't have worked." Ozymandias muttered, letting go of his staff and sitting back in his seat. Nitocris suddenly yelped, drawing everyones attention towards her to reveal Itachi sitting next to her, casually sipping from his cup without a single scar or wound.

"He still has it." Kakashi muttered in amusement as he watched Nitocris panic, unsure what to do.

"Typical. Everyone always did call him a child prodigy." Jiraiya mused as he sipped from his tea. Up at the throne, Ozymandias just sighed and sat back down with a small amount of disappointment.

"It doesn't matter. As planned, I will give you another hour to finish your meals. Then we shall give you the necessary supplies and resources you need to leave this desert, lest you die and sully the sand with your blood. When the sun rises, I expect you to be out of my sights. The crow will be your guide... if he doesn't lead you to your death that is."

That... didn't sound ominous at all.

* * *

Mashu hummed to herself as she sat atop one of the buildings, eagerly looking across the sights and committing it to memory. Ever since she was born, she never had the ability to go out into the world and experience life as a normal person due to... circumstances. As such, she mostly lived her entire life within Chaldea before becoming a demi-servant and having the ability to see the world for the first time. Several of them in the past year to be exact.

She loved those memories. Seeing many things about humanity and the world kind of made her feel... enlightened. She was thankful for St. George that he would take pictures whenever they were out so he could give them to her for a photo album she had been working on.

Speaking of which, the pyramid looked like it would make a good photo. She reached into her pocket to pull out the special camera she always carried around with her before a sudden voice came from behind her.

"Enjoying the view I see, Mashu-chan."

She spun around in surprise and found Kakashi standing behind her silently with his orange book open in his hand. Seeing her surprised reaction, he put a hand up in a calming manner.

"Sorry. Old habit of mine."

Mashu relaxed, coming down from her battle high. "It's alright... Just don't approach me from behind so quietly like that, Kakashi-san."

"Can't help it. A-ranked presence concealment after all." Kakashi said with an eye smile, earning a small giggle from the shielder. Looking over her shoulder, he took in the sights for himself. "A beautiful view for sightseeing. You chose well."

"Thank you." She accepted the compliment easily as she placed her shield on the ground and sat comfortably. She didn't talk as much to Kakashi as the other servants, seeing as he was newer around them. The few times she did talk to him, however, she found enjoyable. Despite his lazy, dopey, irresponsible attitude, he could give some good advice when it was required.

But she sometimes found his presence concealment to be quite creepy sometimes. Unlike their residential Hassan, he usually approached them from the back and without warning like it was natural. The Hassans at the very least had the courtesy to show up from the front most of the time, even if they did wear those... creepy masks.

Which made her wonder if all Shinobi were like that. Even the loud Jiraiya, the perverted sage who had a big mouth, could be really quiet when he needed to. Frankly, it made her uneasy.

Then there was Itachi... A Shinobi known for killing other Shinobi. He was an oddity and an extremely dangerous one at that. If he ever decided to turn on them...

"What are you thinking about?" Kakashi suddenly inquired, snapping out of her thoughts. Turning to him with a questioning look, Kakashi elaborated. "You had a worried look on your face and were biting your lip."

"I was?" She questioned. Odd. She didn't feel like she had been doing anything.

"People do stuff like that when they get lost in thought." Kakashi said as he plopped down on the ground next to her. "Want to talk about it? It's better to let it out instead of bottling it up in my personal experience."

Mashu thought about it for a moment before sighing. "It's... um... About Itachi-san."

"Mmm..." Kakashi stared off into the distance. "You're wondering if we can trust him, correct?" Seeing her nod, he continued on. "So lets turn this into a little exercise, shall we? What part of him do you not trust?"

"Um..." She paused to think about it for a moment, placing a hand on her chin with a thoughtful look. "He's very quiet most of the time. And whenever he speaks, his tone just feels... empty. Like he lost something vital." she pursed her lips. "And there's his legend to think about, Kakashi-san. I know there are always bad people no matter the era, but the age of Shinobi blurs the line a little bit. The people of those time were killers in a world of constant strife." She paused and looked up at Kakashi, noticing that he was staring at her. Feeling nervous, she quickly raised her hands. "U-um... I don't mean that they were all bad people or anything..."

"You're not wrong, Mashu-chan." Kakashi said as he gave her a comforting pat on the head. "Don't be nervous. What you speak is the truth, Shinobi were not heroes. We weren't villains either. We fought for our own rules, our own villages, and we killed and stepped over the corpses of others to do so." He gave her an eye smile. "For a long time, I wasn't a good person either if you could believe it. I believed in following the rules to the letter, even if they made me do some... questionable actions."

"They called you 'Friend Killer Kakashi', right?" Mashu asked quietly, remembering that pop up somewhere in one of the books she read.

"Yeah. Thats what they used to call me." Kakashi said with a pained smile. "It's quite complicated to explain. Maybe sometime later I'll tell you." He looked away from her and started watching the people skirt around below. "Of course, the villages grew quieter when we weren't at war. When those days happened, we tried our hardest to keep it that way. Such was our code: The Will of Fire, which made it so."

"Will of Fire?" Mashu asked curiously.

"A belief those of my village shared." Kakashi explained, his smile turning into a fond one. "A belief of peace through love, the ending of hate with love, the end of wars with love, and the end of conflict with love. That is what we believed in. It gave us the strength to continue fighting, no matter what the odds against us were. All Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf respectfully followed that creed, for the sake of the next generation."

"That sounds nice..." Mashu muttered, finding herself drawn in by Kakashi's rant. "A world of love sounds nice."

"Mmm." Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Of course, people fought for this peace to stay. Some were recognized by history, and others were forgotten and went unrecognized."

"And what about Itachi-san? Wasn't he from your village?"

Kakashi remained silent, causing Mashu to worry and wonder if she went a little bit too far into their history. She knew that some servants didn't open up too freely about their pasts because there were some parts better left unsaid. Maybe she could just downplay the whole thing and just ask lat-

"Itachi was from my village, yes." Kakashi confirmed, though his voice was melancholy. "He was a child prodigy, a master in the art of illusions. An effective Shinobi who believed in the Will of Fire."

"Believed in The Will of Fire?" Mashu thought in surprise. But Itachi was a murderer... right?

"Yeah, he did." Kakashi said as he stood up and turned to her. "If you wish to find out more about him, why don't you ask the man himself?"

"U-um..." Mashu stuttered, suddenly feeling a little bit self-conscious. "I-I'm not sure that's a good idea, kakashi-san."

"Well, you'll never truly know him if you don't. It's not my place to tell you everything about his past." Kakashi said with an amused chuckle as he placed a warm hand on her head and ruffled her white hair, causing her to blush in embarrassment. "If you wish to know more, just ask him. He won't kill you. It's not... in his nature."

She wanted to complain that it kinda was if the readings were anything to go by, but as she watched Kakashi walk away she found herself thinking of another question.

"Kakashi-san..." He paused in his step. "Would you say that Itachi... was a good person? After everything he has done?"

He stood still for a moment before his voice rang out clear, but also quiet. "It is not wise to judge others based on their perceptions and appearances, for peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult of sacrifices. It demands greater heroism than war, and it demands a greater fidelity to the truth and perfect purity of conscious. Not many people posses those traits, and those that do often go unnoticed." He turned to her and gave her a sad eye-smile. "Think about that for a minute. Once you do, decide if you wish to talk to Itachi or not. Whatever choice you make is up to you." Once he finished saying that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Mashu alone to think about those words.

And think about them she did. For the girl who wishes to understand what it means to truly live a a human, she made a mental note to thank him later for those words of his.

* * *

"How sad..."

Several crowds of horrified men, women, and children cowered in fear as they stared at the brutal scene in front of them while also trying to cower between whatever cover they could find against this... invisible force of nature. In front of them was a Hassan of the order, one who rushed over here to save them as they found themselves cornered by the Knights of the Lion King. But she was not winning... far from it.

She was an assassin of the night. Under the cover of darkness she should have been undetectable to anyone. However, the red-haired knight's ability to attack without even bothering to detect her completely undermined her attempts to fight back.

Sir Tristan gave a sad sigh like this job of his truly was a chore. His bow held loosely in his hands was something that no archer could possibly call a bow. In fact, it looked more like a harp with multiple strings tied in a way that would make it impossible for anyone to use, much less shoot an arrow. There was also the fact that he didn't carry a quiver with him. Despite that, his bow was still dangerous. For it didn't shoot arrows, but something much more dangerous.

He stopped his approach towards the fallen Hassan, looking down at her without even opening his eyes. "I am most sad, Old Man of the Mountain. It would be easy for you to escape this alone, yet you have accepted your fate. The people of our Holy Land cower behind you, so you choose to protect them... and loose your worth to protect the worthless..."

"You say... that I am worth more than them?" The Hassan coughed out, trying her best to keep herself from letting her pain show. She wouldn't give her enemy the satisfaction.

"Yes. Had you run, even I would have had trouble catching you with my bow... yet you stayed."

"How honest of you..." The Hassan grunted as she rolled onto her back to stare at her captor, grateful at the very least that he was seemingly giving her the opportunity to speak her last words.

Lucky for her.

"If you are as chivalrous as you say you are, then I shall make a deal with you. For my life, you have to let these people go."

The man paused for a moment. Something was definitely wrong. "Nonsense. You have already fallen and I cannot let these people g-"

"Your arms and legs. For one day you shall not move those legs in hostile pursuit and you shall not move those arms in hostile intent. Though my life is a shameful one, something like this should be sufficient for a person like me."

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "St-"

"I hold you to this oath." The Hassan said with a small smirk as she reached for a knife. "The rest of you, run! Find the other Hassans! They shall surely take you in!"

And with that, she swiftly decapitated herself, pulling out a knife and beheading herself in front of the Archer much to the cries of the people behind her. As he stood there silently, he found himself snorting.

"To think she would cut off her own head... quite a show of bravery. I will indeed have to be forced to my oath."

Suddenly, the screams of the people rang through the air as something invisible began slashing through them, spraying blood everywhere without mercy.

"But you should have worded yourself carefully, Hassan. All I needed to kill your people... was a singer finger."


End file.
